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You must have had a great time – what
was your favourite moment?
I thoroughly enjoyed this period and a couple of
stories really stand out, particularly foreign trips.
My favourite was persuading ITV to let me go on
an Arctic adventure with a handful of MPs. It was
a joy watching an unknown Liberal Democrat
MP, Nick Clegg, trying to cajole a couple of Tory
MPs into helping him build an igloo that would
be safe enough to sleep in. I, meanwhile, spent
the night in another igloo being kicked in the
head by a woman Labour MP. It was certainly
an experience. I also made a lobby trip to the
Gulf with former British Prime Minister, Gordon
Brown, which had an interesting moment. We
were in a hotel in Saudi Arabia when I asked him
how he felt about the fact that I, as a woman,
was unable to walk outside without being
covered from head to foot. He was lost for
words and came up to me afterwards to protest
about the questions – as did his special adviser
and the British Ambassador to Saudi. At that
point, I knew I’d hit a nerve.
I can’t let this opportunity go by – was
there any politician which you met in
those years, who you felt was under-
rated?They say no one is a hero to their
valet, but I wonder if being close up
to any politician made you think - this
person is someone the country should
know better?
Nick Clegg got a terrible bashing which was a
pity. He is a decent man and I genuinely think
he put the country before politics. But he was
never forgiven for reneging on the student loans
promise and for getting into bed with the Tories.
The Lib Dems prevented the Tories from going
too right wing. I think David Cameron was
relying on that coalition lasting after 2015 (if
Labour didn’t win) so the Referendum would
never have taken place. Unfortunately, it did.
Ed Miliband was also much better in the flesh.
He was very personable and amusing but sadly
for him that didn’t translate on TV. His brother,
David, may have been a better leader but he
was much colder and less personable. Actually,
I found him pretty arrogant. George Osborne
is also better in person. Again, he appears posh
and snarling. He’s certainly calculating and an
extremely political beast. But he wasn’t the
‘Lord Snooty’ that the public thought.
Sometimes things happen in a glorious
rush in politics, and it can be utterly
captivating.Was there any period in
your covering theWestminster scene
that was more interesting than others?
I think the most exciting political moments
have been in the last two years and sadly I have
missed those since moving to Copenhagen.
There has been such a shift in British politics
that I am unsure where it’s all headed at the
moment. But the financial crash in 2008 was
fascinating to watch and suddenly our jobs as
political correspondents became much more
about economics and finance. I had great respect
for Alistair Darling - and still do (just as I have
respect for Philip Hammond who is the perfect
accountant for the job at hand). The coalition
was interesting to report on because there were
so many open disagreements between Cameron
and Clegg. But despite that, it is amazing that
they managed to hold it together and achieve
so much. The Lib Dems were such a tiny outfit
compared to the weighty Tories, but they gave
them a good run for their money.
What have you done since your
Westminster days?
I left the Westminster job in 2013, when
my husband and I decided to do something
completely different and move to Copenhagen.
From there I’ve been freelancing for BBC World
(reporting on the last two series of Horizons);
Al Jazeera English; various papers and magazines
including The Spectator, Huffington Post, and
RTE Radio. We wanted to discover whether
Denmark really was the happiest nation on
earth. Nick and I have two children - Charlie
who’s six and Cecelia who’s seven months, so
an important factor was the heavily subsidized
childcare in Denmark. It is one of the highest
taxed nations on earth, and that can hurt!
But you get a lot for your money. Even the
private international school our son was at
was subsidized by the state. As I answer your
questions, we are preparing to make another
move to Berlin, but the affordable rents, and the
amazing work-life balance has been wonderful
here. It’s not perfect but I think we will really
miss it when we leave. It’s been
great to get out of the UK for
a bit and to see how another
country operates. We’ve also
met some great people from all
over the world. For example,
our son was at school with
the grandchild of Nelson and
Winnie Mandela, because
their daughter, Zindzi, is the
South African Ambassador to
Denmark. I feel so lucky that
my husband and I have been
able to use our careers to work
abroad and see a little bit more
of the world. I feel proud to be
a citizen of the world!
That’s a very loaded phrase at the
moment, given whatTheresa May said
at the Conservative Party Conference
in 2016. How has the big story of the
day – Brexit – felt from Denmark?
As a political correspondent for ITV News,
it was always important to stay as impartial
as possible on all things political. I would
say that up until 2015/2016, that was fairly
easy to do. But since the EU Referendum,
I have found it increasingly difficult. I don’t
want to say too much as I’d like to keep the
possibility of reporting from Berlin open,
but watching the UK from abroad has been
both fascinating and depressing. I know that a
number of OSE voted for Brexit (I have been
engaged in rather heated debates on social
media with some!), but I still can’t believe
that we are really going through with it. All
I can say is that, thanks to free movement,
I feel extremely lucky to have been able
to live and work in Denmark and – soon -
Germany. I do hope that whatever happens
with Brexit, pupils at St Edward’s will have
the same opportunities as I have had.
Do you have any advice forTeddies
pupils and OSE at the start of their
careers?
My advice to OSE (male and female) is do
something that you enjoy. Work is always
tough and exhausting but if you enjoy it
then at least it makes it easier. The money
is, of course, important but I have watched
too many of my friends stuck in careers
they don’t enjoy and being dreadfully
unhappy. They don’t feel they can leave
because of the money. I feel lucky to have
been in Westminster and covering some
extraordinary stories. But working abroad
has also been fantastic and life-changing too.
F E A T U R E S
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Alex and her family