Leading with Conviction: MP Daisy Cooper on Building Consensus and Influencing Effectively

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Daisy Cooper. Daisy was elected as MP for St Albans in 2019, unseating the previous Tory MP of nine years and becoming the first ‘liberal’ to hold the seat since 1904.  

Having previously been the digital, culture, media and sport spokesperson and then education spokesperson for the party, she is now its health and social care spokesperson and deputy leader.  

Daisy is a passionate internationalist, and before she was elected worked in Commonwealth affairs for ten years campaigning for LGBT+ rights abroad and for greater transparency around how taxpayers’ money is used to help some of the world’s poorest. She continues to campaign for the preservation and promotion of Britain’s place in Europe and the world.  

In this episode we stayed away from party politics, but did explore what led her to a career in politics and how she operates as a leader in this setting.  

We spoke about building consensus, influencing skills and how to lead effectively when you do not have direct authority over others.  

And as is so often the case, we touched on the ever-relevant topics of maintaining our energy, staying resilient and priority management.