Interview: Kevin Bonavia on life as Stevenage's new MP

For Kevin Bonavia, who first stood as a Labour parliamentary candidate in 2010, it was a long road to becoming an MP.

After spending more than 18 months as his party’s candidate for Stevenage, he was duly elected to the House of Commons on July 4, and we caught up with him to find out how he’s been settling into his new job.

Mr Bonavia told the Comet: “It’s been really exhilarating. There’s been so much to take in.

“Lots of people have been coming up to me and wishing me congratulations, which is lovely on a personal level.

“But there’s also a sense of responsibility – it’s time to start delivering on the pledges I made during the campaign.”

Already, he has given his maiden speech, visited multiple community events, begun the process of setting up a permanent office, and organised several advice surgeries – which he says will run on a regular basis from September.

He’s promised to be a full-time MP, not taking any other jobs, and tells the Comet he will not be renting a second home in London. During the campaign, he also held public meetings in Stevenage and the surrounding villages – “old school politics” that he believes still has a place.

Throughout our conversation, a word that keeps cropping up is “grounded” – that’s the kind of MP he wants to be.

Mr Bonavia’s aim is to be “accessible and available”, though he adds this isn’t enough by itself.

“It’s being on top of the issues that people are facing in the town and villages.

Kevin Bonavia gives his acceptance speech earlier this month. (Image: Christopher Day/Newsquest)

“Everything I do in the constituency will be about learning the issues, being a facilitator, bringing people together, and trying to bring change.

“And when I’m in Parliament, my focus will be on what I can do there that will benefit our residents.”

So what issues will he be prioritising? Housing is one he says will be “at the top” of his agenda.

“It’s fantastic this Labour government is going to give better rights for renters, such as ending no fault evictions, because we’ve seen that a lot in Stevenage.

“It’s also about building new homes, not just in our constituency, but around our regions and the country, which is going to alleviate that pressure.

Kevin Bonavia with chancellor Rachel Reeves on a visit last year to Stevenage Borough Council's Kenilworth Close housing development. (Image: Labour Party)

“Stevenage was the first new town built by a Labour government after the Second World War; we need to return to that to deal with today’s housing crisis.”

He believes the crisis is caused by “changes in our population make-up” – an ageing population and growing number of single households – and policy choices, such as right-to-buy, that have led to a “broken” system.

Mr Bonavia’s aim is to give people “hope they can get their own home again”.

And, although he declines to say he’s a Yimby [Yes in my backyard] – as Sir Keir Starmer has described himself – he does say: “I will always look favourably on the principle of new homes for our local population.

“That’s my starting point. If I see a potential for new homes, then my presumption is going to be that I’m going to see how we can make this work.”

Speaking to Maltese media – Mr Bonavia was born in the small island nation – after his election win, he said he hopes “many” of Labour’s promised 1.5m homes will be built in Stevenage.

“We need to have local homes for local people, so we do need to have some of those affordable homes in our constituency.

“We need to work hand-in-hand with our councils. Nationally, we have a plan and we have targets, but we have to give our councils the tools to deliver on that … I will be speaking up to make sure they are able to do that.”

While he may not be responsible for making decisions on housing developments – that power rests with district and borough councils – Mr Bonavia wants to “bring people together whenever there are proposals”.

“One thing I’ve learned is the sooner you get the people who are going to be impacted by it involved, the better it will be.

“Whenever there’s a new proposal, I will convene local stakeholders – residents, councils, construction companies. And I’ll do that through one of my campaign pledges, which was to hold a series of planning surgeries whenever it comes up.

“That’s how I’m going to do it. It’s not for me to make the decisions, but it is for me to bring people together.”

Mr Bonavia sees himself as a “facilitator” – not just on housing, but in other areas such as Stevenage’s “amazing” science and defence sectors.

Kevin Bonavia and Luke Pollard, armed forces minister, during a visit to Airbus's Stevenage site earlier this year. (Image: Labour Party)

“We’ve got the materials and the people in our town to be trailblazers for both life sciences and our country’s defence.

“There are some great examples of what’s happening in Stevenage in STEM, such as Mission 44.

“I’ll be working hand-in-hand with our Labour council to link [those companies] up with our young people and schools.

“You can start your career in Stevenage and have a great career here … we’ve got it right under our noses. My job will be to be a facilitator of that.”

That will involve working closely with local authorities, and Mr Bonavia is keen to “formalise” his relationships with Hertfordshire County Council and the three district and borough councils that cover Stevenage constituency.

“We’ll be putting together a programme where I will put things on the table from what I’ve learned from constituents and in Westminster, and they can put things on the agenda they want me to take forward as Stevenage’s MP.

“I’ll be a critical friend. We achieve things together. I don’t want to be apportioning blame, I want to work on things together so we can share the credit – it’s far more effective.”

Part two coming soon: Trust in politics; law and order; public transport.