Anneliese Midgley
About this episode
Anneliese Midgley shares her journey from a working-class background in Liverpool to becoming Labour's chief whip and her contributions to politics.
Labour's new chief whip is a Liverpudlian with a broad cultural hinterland. Anneliese Midgley grew up in Knowsley on a housing estate. Her family struggled financially when she was growing up but their fortunes changed when her father got a job at the Halewood Ford factory. They moved to the more affluent area of Penny Lane and as a teenager Annaliese got a job at The Beatles Shop. Music became a huge part of her life. She hung out with DJs and musicians and was regularly seen behind the decks at cult Liverpool club night, Liquidation, which was run by her friend Daniel Hunt from the band Ladytron. Through him she met Saint Etienne founder Bob Stanley, who she married in 2000, and moved to London where Midgley became a music journalist. The couple later divorced but remain firm friends. Her first foray into politics was when she made some congestion charge badges for her friends and sent a few to then London Mayor Ken Livingstone who promptly employed her. She worked for him for five years before moving on to Unite union and then going on to work for Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer and TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak. In 2024 she ran for parliament as the Labour candidate for…
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