CGP Communications Manager Ryan Baldry was joined by Nusrat Ghani MP for the latest episode of the Global Britain Podcast. This week, they discussed Nus’ journey into politics, what Global Britain should stand for on the world stage, being the MP representing Winnie the Pooh and what it’s like being one of the UK Parliamentarians to be sanctioned by China.

Some highlights from their interview are below and you can listen to the whole episode here.

On the type of Member of Parliament Nusrat Ghani has been:

I suspect that because of my background, and my campaigning field, and the people I interacted with, meant that I was always going to be a campaigning Member of Parliament, someone that wanted to change policy, influence policy, and make sure that [..] we are governing […] for the whole country

On the appeal of the UK for those seeking a better life:

I think that the reasons why my parents were attracted to coming to the United Kingdom, was based on its values and institutions. […] I'm in Parliament, surrounded by my wonderful colleagues. But they aren't as confident in, in promoting as values and institutions as much as I am maybe because I'm an immigrant to this country. […] But you know, the United Kingdom has always been seen as a place of freedom, a place that was based on democracy where everybody will be treated equal, each vote is worth the same. And a place where you can have access to good education, and be able to make your own opportunities in life. And for me, that is what Global Britain is about.

On being sanctioned by China:

So I would say mostly, possibly the guys were expecting it. And I wasn't […], my work was exposing the grey areas in UK legislation and international law when it comes […]to firms showcasing transparency in their supply chain. And your listeners may need to be aware that, you know, British firms, like American or European firms, have to show that they're not exploiting slave labour, and they need to showcase the damage they're doing to the environment and how they're mitigating that risk. And these firms are household names that love to promote themselves as being close to us, the customer having our values and giving us good quality products. And based on ensuring that no one's been harmed, any animal […] have been harmed in the process. What was obvious was that when it came to China in Xinjiang, none of this was happening. You can't even go into Xinjiang without the authorization of the Chinese Communist Party. You can't even go in and check the factories or check anything. So there was massive grey area. And what I was able to do is try and speak to international firms or UK firms and say, look what's going on.