MAKE ME PRIME MINISTER: MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR NEW CHANNEL 4 SERIES
Make Me Prime Minister is a brand new Channel 4 series that is set to lift the lid on what it really takes to be Prime Minister.
12 ambitious candidates with strong views from across the political spectrum will be put through their paces on the campaign trail in a raft of prime ministerial tasks set and adjudicated by political heavyweights Alastair Campbell and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.
The candidates will need to persuade and convince former politicians, experienced journalists and most importantly the public, that they have the charisma, vision, and political acumen to lead.
Across the series, the candidates will be whittled down until just one secures victory to be crowned Channel 4’s Alternative Prime Minister.
Two of the country’s former Prime Ministers will also appear in the six-part series. Tony Blair and David Cameron have both offered their own candid and personal advice on what it is like to be Prime Minister and given advice to the candidates taking part in the series.
Meet the candidates:
ADAM
Age: 61
Occupation: Marketing Consultant
Lives: Suffolk
Political leanings – “Progressive, left of centre. Any vote to keep the Tories out.”
Big Idea – To create more social mobility by depoliticising education. If he had £1 billion to spend, he would invest it in HMRC to stop tax evasion and reinvest the money into the country.
ALICE
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Lives: London
Political leanings – “Socially very conservative but feels the current Conservative Party often prioritises profit and big business over the people.”
Big Idea – To abolish all green taxes and levies and promote ‘Trees Not Taxes’ — creating more green spaces in cities. Alice advocates for an end to the Caron net-zero agenda to reduce the skyrocketing prices of fuel and energy bills to help the poorest and most vulnerable British households.
CAROLINE
Age: 55
Occupation: Hairdresser
Lives: Buckinghamshire
Political leanings – “I don’t actually identify with any party, but I guess if I was going to lean any way, it would be towards the Green Party.”
Big Idea – To put ‘Planet Before Profit’ as she believes the government aren’t paying attention to the environmental issues. Caroline would cut funding to all future non green projects starting with scrapping HS2 and use Citizens Assemblies to investigate, discuss and make recommendations on government policies.
CONALL
Age: 24
Occupation: Paralegal
Lives: Belfast
Political leanings – “I don’t identify with a particular party in England. I would just weigh up the policies as I see them.”
Big Idea – To open rehabilitation centres across the UK which would offer a safe space for people living on the streets who struggle with addiction.
DANNY
Age: 37
Occupation: Venue Operator
Lives: London
Political leanings – “Not really. I do call out the Conservative government a lot, but they are the government. I have also called out Labour and the Liberal Democrats as well, but I call out the Tories more. Labour aren’t in charge, so I’m not going to spend as much time talking about them. I’ll deal with them later.”
Big Idea – To return power to the people by making everyday people the government’s boss. He would like all big government spending to first be put through a public assembly who decide whether or not it’s a good use of the public purse.
DARIUS
Age: 23
Location: London
Occupation: Entrepreneur & Charity Fundraiser
Political leanings – “I stood in the last council elections for Hounslow Council as a Conservative candidate.”
Big Idea – To provide more government funding to help young people set up their own businesses.
HOLLY
Age: 29
Location: Leicester
Occupation: Ex-footballer & Sports Agent
Political leanings – “I identify with Labour. Recently, I haven’t been completely happy with the party and where it’s going, but if I was to vote tomorrow I would still vote Labour.”
Big Idea – To dismantle institutional racism in the UK – ‘Diversity over Division.’ She feels Britain is at its best when unified and would implement her policy through Employment, Education, Reconciliation and Health.
JACKIE
Age: 63
Location: Shropshire
Occupation: Chief Officer
Political leanings – “I always voted Conservative and never really gave it much thought, until the last bi-election we had. Both the Labour and Conservative candidates had no affinity to the area. The Lib Dem did. And for the first time in my life, I voted Lib Dem.”
Big Idea – To boost local government. She would like to focus funding away from central government and towards local government so that changes you care about can happen.
KELLY
Age: 25
Location: Edinburgh
Occupation: Equality & Diversity Inclusion Manager
“Very much to the left. I am an SNP member, but there are things I think the SNP could be stronger on.”
Big Idea – Housing security for everyone and abolishing homelessness with Housing First. Kelly would like to implement a 20 min neighbourhood where everyone has a community within 20 mins of their home.
NATALIE
Age: 36
Location: Manchester
Occupation: Medical Communications Director
Political leanings – “Independent but left leaning.”
Big Idea – To impose legislation to prevent multinational corporations from using debt shifting practises to avoid paying taxes. With the money raised, she would propose spending this on improving community infrastructure and facilities.
RICO
Age: 30
Location: London
Occupation: Diversity Consultant
Political leanings – “Labour but more about a cause and fighting for minority groups.”
Big Idea – To raise awareness of issues that impact the trans and nonbinary community, starting with access to the Gender Recognition Certificate
VERITY
Age: 22
Location: Brighton
Occupation: Restaurant Supervisor
Political leanings – “I do identify with a certain political party, but I was brought up with the fact that your political view is your own. My political views don’t define who I am.”
Big Idea – To “Set The Bar” to ensure politics is about the people and ensuring that Parliament has an equal percentage of all different communities within the UK
Make Me Prime Minister will air on Channel 4 in September.