Alice Macdonald

This article is about the British politician. For the 19th century writer, see Alice Kipling.

Alice Macdonald
Member of Parliament for Norwich North
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 July 2024
Preceded by	Chloe Smith
Majority	10,850 (23.7%)
Personal details
Born	(1983-04-01) 1 April 1983 Norwich, England
Political party	Labour Party (UK)
Parent(s)	Irene and John Macdonald
Education	University of Bristol (Bachelor of Arts: French and Italian) SOAS, University of London (Master of Arts: International Studies and Diplomacy)

Alice Macdonald (born 1 April 1983) is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich North. Alice Macdonald is the daughter of West Norfolk Council Labour leader Irene Macdonald.

Education

Macdonald graduated with first class honours in French and Italian at the University of Bristol in 2005, then went on to study a Master of the Arts in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London, where she graduated in 2007 with distinction.

Early life

Macdonald grew up in Marham and attended the Downham Market comprehensive high school, then commuted to a sixth form in Cambridge. Her first job was on a local farm. Macdonald also worked in pubs, cafes and shops.

Pre-election political career

Macdonald served as a councillor in the Newington ward of Southwark from the 7 May 2018 to the 21 May 2023. On the 25 July 2022 she was announced as the official Labour parliamentary candidate for Norwich North. She has also served as a senior adviser to Harriet Harman and Bob Ainsworth.

Election to Norwich North

Alice Macdonald was elected on the 4th of July 2024. Macdonald received 20,794 votes, a 45.4% share of the Norwich North vote and a majority of 10,850.

The result was a 18.2% swing to Labour from 2019. The unpopularity of the Conservatives in her area was the deciding factor in a result that also saw significant vote share increase for Reform and The Green Party.

In a post-election speech, Macdonald hinted at unspecified problems she believes exist within the Norwich North area:

"I feel very privileged to have been elected but that comes with a huge responsibility - there are big challenges across this area."

Charity campaigning

Macdonald was Campaigns and Policy Director for London-based company Project Everyone between August 2016 and April 2023. Project Everyone was co-founded by Richard Curtis and is dedicated to "achieving sustainable development goals" via "campaign materials, [...] installations, [...] documentaries, [and] events". Macdonald also served as Campaign Director for Hungry for Action Campaign, who aim to spotlight the global food crisis.

Appointments

Macdonald was a Director of the Potter Fields Park Management Trust, a not-for-profit organisation that manages events and maintenance for a park and a churchyard in Southwark. The appointment lasted from 21 July 2021 until 28 November 2022, when she resigned from her position.

Controversy

In 2022, Macdonald announced she would be standing for the Labour parliamentary candidacy against Karen Davis. Davis previously stood unsuccessfully against the Conservative incumbent Chloe Smith. The announcement of Macdonald's candidacy prompted accusations that she unfairly used campaign materials in a manner that took credit for someone else's work. Labour councillor Emma Corlett remarked: "This video literally uses photos from Karen Davis' campaign on holiday hunger and has you walking past the Vote Labour boards she and I put up with our bare (splintered) hands." An additional comment cast doubt on Macdonald's local knowledge: "Use your local knowledge? What, on a postage stamp?"