Channel 4 Make Me Prime Minister: meet the contestants, are there any former prime ministers

Make Me Prime Minister sees 12 ordinary yet opinionated Brits compete to be crowned Channel 4’s alternative Prime Minister.
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Make Me Prime Minister is a brand new Channel 4 series revealing what it really takes to be PM.

The programme follows 12 people from across the political spectrum, in a contest to see who would make the best alternative Prime Minister.

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Each candidate needs to persuade and convince former politicians, experienced journalists and the public, that they have the charisma, vision, and political acumen to lead.

The challenges are set and judged by Alistair Campbell and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.

What happens on Make Me Prime Minister?

The six-part series follows the candidates on their campaign trial and will be given a series of prime ministerial style tasks designed to test their leadership skills, resilience, and integrity. The overall format is quite similar to The Apprentice.

Some of the tasks the candidates will face throughout the series are:

  • Averting an international crisis by negotiating with an enemy of the country
  • Explaining their new education policy to a group of five5-year-olds
  • Coping with being scrutinised by the country’s top journalists, with just minutes to prepare
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Across the series the candidates will be whittled down until just one secures victory to be crowned Channel 4’s Alternative Prime Minister.

Who is Alistair Campbell?

Alastair Campbell is known for his roles during Tony Blair’s leadership of the Labour Party.

He was Blair’s spokesperson and campaign director, then Downing Street’s press secretary and the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson.

Campbell was also Downing Street’s director of communications and spokesperson for the Labour Party from 2000-2003. Two years later, he returned as Blair’s campaign director in the 2005 general election.

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He said: “Done properly, being Prime Minister is about as tough a job as anyone can do.

“It is great that so many people think they can do it and I am looking forward to working with Sayeeda Warsi to guide and challenge them to see if they really have what it takes.

“Fair to say politics is in a bit of a mess right now and I hope not only that some genuine political talent emerges through the series but also that it might inspire the watching public to get more engaged in politics and get properly involved.”

Alastair Campbell, former Director of Communications for the UK Labour Government will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime MinisterAlastair Campbell, former Director of Communications for the UK Labour Government will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister
Alastair Campbell, former Director of Communications for the UK Labour Government will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister

Who is Baroness Sayeeda Warsi?

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi is a member of the House of Lords and served as co-chairwoman of the Conservative Party from 2010-2012.

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Baroness Sayeeda Warsi said: “Serving as Chairman of the Conservative Party and a Cabinet minister in a coalition government, I was convinced values and ethics matter as much as political ideology.

“So Alastair Campbell and I are putting aside our political differences to focus on what it takes to lead. I hope we can inspire a new generation of passionate voters and politicians.”

The Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime MinisterThe Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister
The Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister

How to watch Make Me Prime Minister

The first episode of Make Me Prime Minister aired on Channel 4 on Tuesday, September 27 at 9.15pm.

Episodes air every Tuesday at the same time on Channel 4.

Former Prime Ministers on Channel 4 Make Me Prime Minister

Tony Blair and David Cameron will feature on the programme.

They will offer personal advice to the candidates on what it’s like to be Prime Minister.

Former PMs Tony Blair and David Cameron will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime MinisterFormer PMs Tony Blair and David Cameron will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister
Former PMs Tony Blair and David Cameron will star in Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister

Make Me Prime Minister Trailer

The trailer for Make Me Prime Minister can be watched here.

Who are the 12 candidates?

Jackie Weaver will be starring in Make Me Prime Minister on Channel 4 Jackie Weaver will be starring in Make Me Prime Minister on Channel 4
Jackie Weaver will be starring in Make Me Prime Minister on Channel 4

Jackie Weaver, 63, chief officer from Shropshire

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Unlikely internet sensation, Jackie Weaver, shot to virtual fame after angrily being told “you have no authority here” in a heated Zoom meeting for Handforth Parish Council in December 2020.

She’s a mother to three sons and was born in Motherwell to a “very poor” Scottish family. Now, she lives in Shropshire with her retired mechanical engineer husband that she met on a blind date.

Jackie said if she was Prime Minister she “would make decisions that people don’t like.”

She believes that “national politics should not involve the rough and tumble that it currently does” and would like to focus funding away from central government and towards local government so that changes you care about can be made.

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Kelly, 25, an equality and diversity inclusion manager from Edinburgh

Miss Universe Great Britain 2020 finalist, Kelly, is passionate about disability rights, inclusion and equality having been diagnosed with autism and ADHD last year.

She has been campaigning for the SNP since the age of 16, became an elected member of the Scottish Youth Parliament at 17 and in 2018, was selected to be Nicola Sturgeon’s official support at the end-of-year celebration for Scotland’s Year of Young People.

Kelly, a Unite 2030 policy intern turned lead, is returning to the UN this year for their Sustainable Development Camp and General Assembly.

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She has frequently taken part in protests, once shielding a polling station from Spanish police during the Catalonian independence referendum.

She said: “The right to protest is necessary for democracy.”

Natalie, 36, a medical communications director from Manchester

Healthcare professional Natalie, who has Type 1 diabetes, recently launched a clothing range in 2017 for people who wear insulin pumps or take daily injections.

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If she were leader, Natalie would love to put “a cap on capitalism” to “solve not just economic problems, but problems of corruption, problems of careerists.”

She said: “I would want to see my cabinet act with their heart and not their pocket.”

Natalie believes the national curriculum is outdated and needs refreshing to suit each child rather than a blanket approach.

Hugely passionate about more support for the NHS, she thinks schools should help by offering further mental health and wellbeing support to pupils.

Rico, 30, a diversity consultant from London

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Diversity consultant and transgender man Rico is extremely passionate about campaigning for Black and LGBTQ+ rights and has previously spoken in both Parliament and at the Mayor of London’s office.

Having been featured in the NYC Journal’s 50 Under 50 Class of 2022, he is also part of the United Nations Unite 2030 Youth Delegate program.

Rico believes the UK are incredibly behind others when it comes to the inclusivity and needs of the non-binary population and whilst improving access to the Gender Recognition Certificate is high up his priority list, he feels the ‘shocking’ cost of living crisis is the most paramount issue.

Verity, 22, a restaurant supervisor from Brighton

Growing up in a family that loved to debate politics, Verity is infuriated by the lack of female voices in politics and feels there “still isn’t a platform for women to be heard.”

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She is passionate about voting and encourages other women to vote in her local town.

Describing herself as adventurous, spontaneous and independent, Verity has previously campaigned at Black Lives Matter, equality and climate change protests.

Verity would like the series to show that “women are exactly the same and equal to men” and if she were leader, she wants to change the world, “but not in a power-hungry way.”

Adam, 61, a marketing consultant from Suffolk

Stepfather to four children, Adam studied history at Bristol University and describes himself as compassionate, realistic, patriotic and honest.

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He said he’d make a great leader because he has a lot of good ideas which aren’t “necessarily going to be popular but they’ll almost certainly be right.”

Adam was the business director for marketing giants Saatchi & Saatchi when they won the Labour account in 2007 after years of working for the Conservatives.

He explained that Brexit drove him mad and he feels it’s about the time the government levelled with the population of the country.

Alice, 20, a student from London

A first year Classics student at Oxford University, Alice is a staunch Brexiteer who feels that “politicians right now are a bit of a pantomime.”

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She grew up in an agnostic family but converted to Catholicism when she was 18 years old and was subsequently baptised.

Having met her political hero, Margaret Thatcher, when she was very young, Alice describes herself as a ‘patriot’ who genuinely cares about the interests of the nation.

She would like Britain to be more self-sufficient and wants to see a revival of British industry and agriculture.

Caroline, 55, a hairdresser from Buckinghamshire

Mum of three, former science teacher and Extinction Rebellion member, Caroline, was introduced to her first protest in 2019 by her eldest daughter.

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Having been arrested four times, she has made ‘a deal with herself’ to do her part in controlling climate change and finds it frustrating when people say it’s not as bad as we think.

Caroline is very passionate about education and feels our curriculum should be more creative, we should lose SATs and follow in the footsteps of Scandinavia.

Increasingly disillusioned with the type of politics we have, Caroline believes the government are “self-serving” and does not act ”‘in the interest of the people.”

Conall, 24, a paralegal from Belfast

Self-described “Ralph Lauren connoisseur” and frequent TikTokker, Conall, believes the current UK government are a “shambles” and as an Irishman, is fed up with people asking, ‘Are you Labour or Tory?’ without mentioning any other parties.

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When it comes to climate change, Conall isn’t convinced it’s as bad as people make out and believes the current issues in society stem back to education.

He also feels the UK is severely behind other countries when it comes to supervised drug consumption rooms and believes it’s massively impacting the NHS.

He would like the UK to look at preventing drug use, and promoting safe drug use because in his opinion, criminalization hasn’t worked.

Danny, 37, a venue operator from London

Danny wasn’t interested in politics before the pandemic hit, but he has since made a name for himself on Instagram regarding politics.

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He uses his platform to bring the outsider’s viewpoint to politics, he believes the political infrastructure in the UK is wrong, with only 35% of the country being truly represented.

Openly pansexual Danny, whose father is legendary music producer and DJ Goldie, feels strongly about both government spending and the education system and wants to get rid of private schools.

Darius, 23, entrepreneur and charity fundraiser, from London

When Darius was six-months-old he and his family fled from Afghanistan to escape the Taliban regime and were smuggled into the UK in the back of a refrigerated lorry.

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Later graduating from Kings College with a degree in Politics and Philosophy, Darius has supported the Conservatives since he was 18 and believes the Conservative Party embodies people with strong business acumen, innovation and creativity.

Darius would like to be the first British-Afghan refugee leader and is passionate about business, International Trade and attracting investment from overseas.

Given the opportunity, he would like to tackle crime in society, calling it a huge challenge facing different communities across the country.

Holly, 29, sports agent and ex-footballer from Leicester

Holly is a qualified solicitor and ex-captain and former first-team coach for Leicester City WFC.

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She is also on the advisory board for the ‘Kick It Out’ campaign and has publicly spoken about tackling racism in sport.

Becoming an MP has always been in the back of Holly’s mind, and she believes her experience as a football captain would help.

She said: “I would always think, how can I captivate the people around me? What do they need and want and how can I build that energy?

“Someone might not like the answer, but they’ll respect you for being straight with them.”

Holly is passionate about health and would like to tackle child obesity in the UK, putting measures in place to support both children and parents.

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