This week Lisa Nandy MP, Shadow Levelling Up Secretary, reveals her own covenantal instincts.
They have long dwelt in Nandy. In the wake of Brexit, she set up the ‘Centre for Towns’ which found that attachment to local places drove non-metropolitan areas to vote Leave in the 2016 Referendum.
In her ode to the British people and their affection for the places they live, Nandy reaffirms her commitment to seeing and celebrating the assets in every place.
As usual, we ignore the party political point scoring and simply recognise covenantal voices in Parliament. Speaking in the debate on ‘power in communities’, Nandy said:
Within living memory, we powered the world, and we will again. Whether in shipbuilding in Glasgow, textiles in Preston and Burnley, mining in Wales and Wigan, or fishing in Grimsby, the people that make our great towns and cities are the people who drove Britain forward, and they deserve so much better than this. Those jobs may have gone, but what remains is a fierce determination to contribute again—not to the history books, but to our future.
… Every community in this country has the right to make a contribution to the national effort, not just some. It was George Orwell, who is forever associated with my town through “The Road to Wigan Pier”, who said that this is a country that lies “beneath the surface”, and it is time for that country “to take charge of its own destiny.”
Lisa Nandy MP will be speaking at ‘Restitch: The Social Fabric Summit’ hosted by Onward and Create Streets. This major two day conference in London (24th May) and Halifax (27th May) that will bring together some of the world's leading politicians, thinkers, community and faith leaders to generate ideas, renew society in the wake of coronavirus. Notable speakers include Michael Sandel, Andy Haldane and Rory Stewart. Find out more and up for a place here.