THE Commons has never had a woman actively experiencing poverty sit as an MP. So if Maddison Wheeldon gets elected, it will be a historic first.

The single mother of two is standing as an independent for Warrington North. Driven by a determination to hold power to account, Wheeldon was studying law at the University of Manchester during Covid.

But unable to afford her rent, she was forced to drop out. “I was facing a situation where I was having to go to the housing office with my kids in tears because I thought I was going to have to live in my car,” she says.

She admits times are still tough and that she often resorts to eating her kids’ leftovers. She spoke to the Star after being stuck in back-to-back traffic.

“We’ve got a number of developments around us that should never have been approved,” she says, citing them as a cause of the congestion that’s been a major headache for residents.

Housing is a central issue in her campaign. She believes the focus should shift away from building new developments on precious greenbelt land, instead looking for alternative solutions. “I want to push for renovations, using apprenticeships to upskill and give opportunities to young people,” Wheeldon says.

Describing herself as a “very staunch lefty”, she wants property brought into state ownership, and advocates the same for transport, the NHS, and schools as well.

“Ultimately, all our state services have become renters,” she says.

“Which as any renter knows, means we’re wasting a lot of money for someone else’s profits.” Labour’s plans to cut NHS waiting lists by relying on the private sector is “gross, cynical and manipulative” she says, pointing out that the shadow cabinet has received more money from donors with private healthcare interests than the entire Tory Party.

An ardent Corbynite, Maddison gave up on Labour in 2021 and fled to the Greens. But last month, she was told by the party’s regional council to stand down after the Telegraph branded her anti-semitic over Gaza-related posts on social media.

Neither an investigation nor suspension followed. Wheeldon has since left the party. The number of independents standing in this election has nearly tripled since 2019, underscoring a pervasive dissatisfaction with the main parties.

Wheeldon has received backing from Time to Assemble, which advocates for people’s assemblies to have their say.

“I want people to find their voice and realise that we have the power,” she says.

“Progress over history has come through people, not through politicians leading the way.”

One of Wheeldon’s aspirations is to build pressure for a wealth tax, which would be reinvested into infrastructure and communities. The money she says, could ease pressure on families and be used to fund child care such as after-school clubs.

Such a move could help tackle systemic issues, experienced by primary caregivers — largely women — forced to choose between working full-time and paying extortionate childcare or remaining trapped in low-paid, part-time work.

Wheeldon says it could bring an end to the pitting of middle classes against those receiving state support.

Abolishing the two-child benefit cap is a no-brainer.

“The fact that we feel more comfortable to accept a cap on the most vulnerable people instead of making the rich a little bit more uncomfortable — just speaks to how morally bankrupt a lot of our kind of policy and our parties have become,” she says.

In the face of such a hostile climate, she wants to put an emphasis on bringing communities together through initiatives such as zero-waste community meals, where people can come and pay what they can afford.

Such projects could reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, and like in the miners’ strikes, foster a sense of solidarity that would have people feeling safer and belonging, she says. “Until we start tackling the psychology of our communities — and all those bonds — everything else is just sticking-plaster politics.”