North East Hampshire MP Alex Brewer vows to fight for NHS

The LibDem MP, who became the first woman to ever win the North East Hampshire constituency, stunned the political landscape by defeating Conservative incumbent Ranil Jayawardena by 634 votes.

Her victory marks a major shift in a traditionally safe Conservative seat, and her fresh approach to politics has sparked curiosity across the region.

“I’m still pinching myself,” Mrs Brewer told the Gazette.

North East Hampshire MP Alex Brewer (Image: Newsquest)

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A political outsider up until just a few years ago, Mrs Brewer’s path to Parliament was anything but conventional.

Her entry into politics wasn’t planned, and much like her campaign, it was driven by a determination to address deep systemic issues.

Her political awakening came from her work in the charity sector, specifically supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse.“

It started in a courtroom, but for the right reasons,” Mrs Brewer said, describing the moments that led her to politics.

“I was supporting women and children who've been victims of domestic abuse, helping them navigate a series of broken systems. Everything seemed to be stacked against them. When you're at your most vulnerable, to have to leap higher than everyone else seems so unfair,” she said.

The desire to make a more significant impact pulled her into the world of politics in 2018.

“I'm not naïve enough to think I can just waltz into Parliament and magically make stuff better,” she said.

“But I went into the charity sector to make a difference. It was a very deliberate move, and I just wasn't making enough of a difference. So that was sort of the main spark.”

When asked what are the three areas she would like to focus as an MP, she said it’s hard to choose just three because “everything seems to be broken” and her “inbox is a reflection of that.”

“NHS is by far and away the thing that comes up most,” Ms Brewer said while speaking about the numerous complaints from her constituents.

“Everywhere there seem to be problems with it, and people are desperate for it to be restored, better resourced.”

She also spoke passionately about the dire need for improvements in accessing basic services, like seeing a GP.

“The basic things—GPs are worked off their socks, and yet people can't get in to see them in a timely way,” she said.

“Work is being pushed onto community pharmacies, but they’ve got no additional resources. So they’re under so much pressure.”

She is not under any illusions that she alone can fix the NHS, but she is determined to advocate for policies that will lead to improvements.

“I'd be more than happy if Labour decides to pinch some of the Lib Dems’ policies. The main thing is that something has to be done.”

Mrs Brewer also said she is also worried about losing the funding for hospitals.

She is also deeply concerned about another issue that hits close to home: the sewage crisis.

The environmental damage caused by raw sewage being dumped into local rivers has reached a tipping point, and it’s also one of the biggest campaigns for the LibDem.

“We've got two chalk stream rivers, and they're both on this side of the constituency,” Ms Brewer said.

“We have the dual problem of sewage going into rivers, particularly where you've got fragile ecosystems, but then also sewage pipes seemingly bursting all over the constituency.”

Improving Special Educational Needs (SEN) services is another major issue that she is working on.

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Having worked with Stepping Stones DS, a Down Syndrome support charity, Ms Brewer has seen the challenges facing families with SEN children up close.

“Many parents are absolutely at their wits’ end,” she said.

“And we know that early intervention helps enormously. Parents do that, and then they’re seeing their child’s condition getting worse. It’s becoming more difficult and more expensive to manage, all because of a lack of proper support.”

Despite her relative inexperience in Parliament and her position as a backbench MP in a third-party opposition, the MP is determined. 

“I know I’m a third-party backbench MP, and I know I’m not about to start effecting large structural change,” she said.

“But I’m in a position to influence and amplify my voice. That’s what I intend to do.”