大象传媒

In this series, Peter Hennessy, the historian of modern Britain, asks senior politicians to reflect on their life and times. Each week, he invites his guest to explore their early, formative influences, their experiences of events and their impressions of people they've known.

In this programme, Peter Hennessy's guest is Dame Margaret Hodge, Labour MP for Barking since 1994. Their conversation covers her controversial time as Leader of Islington Council (1982-92), her role as a minister in the Blair and Brown governments, and her performance as chair of the powerful Commons Public Accounts Committee during 2010-15, when she earned a reputation as the scourge of top bosses and Whitehall mandarins.

Margaret Hodge reflects on the impact of her childhood experience as an immigrant and how this shaped her political views. She recalls how she first became involved in politics and became a councillor in Islington in the 1980s, where she was soon embroiled in tough battles with both the far left and the Conservative Government, and how she backed Neil Kinnock's fight to reform the Labour Party. Having been a close neighbour and friend of Tony Blair's in Islington, she backed him as Labour Leader in 1994. In the same year, she entered the Commons by winning the Barking by-election. She reveals how her experience in fighting the BNP's strong challenge in Barking changed her whole approach to politics and also influenced her work on the Commons Public Accounts Committee. Reflecting on her own career, she hopes people will come to appreciate that life is a marathon, not a short sprint, and that they can take on new challenges and contribute much throughout their lives.

Producer: Rob Shepherd.