About this episode
Alex Ballinger discusses his journey from the Royal Marines to becoming an MP, including his military background and work in international development.
In this episode of Meet the MP, Nicola Richards sits down with Alex Ballinger, the elected Labour MP for Halesowen, to discuss his remarkable journey from the Royal Marines to the House of Commons. Alex shares how four generations of military service shaped his early life, his experience serving in Afghanistan, and why he chose to transition from the armed forces into diplomacy and international development. He reflects candidly on his work overseas with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Develo...
People in this episode
Host: Nicola Richards
Guest: Alex Ballinger
Topics covered
- military service
- diplomacy
- international development
- politics
Keywords
- Halesowen
- Labour MP
- House of Commons
- Afghanistan
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Meet the MP
Places: Halesowen, Afghanistan
More episodes of Meet the MP
- Meet the MP: Naushabah Khan MP · November 27, 2025 · 36 min
- Meet the MP: Jack Rankin MP · May 8, 2025 · 32 min
- Meet the MP: Shaun Davies MP · April 25, 2025 · 29 min
- Meet the MP: Ben Goldsborough MP · April 9, 2025 · 44 min
- Welcome to Meet the MP · April 1, 2025 · 36 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Meet the MP podcast page.