SCOTTISH independence activist Kelly Given said winning her first battle on Channel 4’s Make Me Prime Minister was a “turning point” after lacking confidence during filming.
Given, 25, lapped up the chance to prove herself as an alternative UK Government leader in Tuesday’s show as she was handed the task of creating a policy to tackle the obesity epidemic.
With her and her team’s idea of offering free school meals to all school pupils funded by a rise in corporation tax, she managed to see off rival ex-footballer Holly Morgan as she secured more than 60% of the studio audience’s vote.
Speaking exclusively to the National, she described her victory as a significant moment in her journey on the show that gave her the belief she could thrive in frontline politics.
“That was a bit of a turning point for me during filming,” said Given, who used to be a board member for the SNP’s youth wing Young Scots for Independence.
“I’d been nervous and I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing and winning that day just made me feel like I could do this and I was going to be fine.
“It was really nice to watch it back and it was nice to see the reception as well. I’ve not seen one bad tweet yet!”
Asked if she felt as if she had done enough to win following her speech, she added: “I felt when I came out of the debate I did perform better and I felt like my policy was better, it just made more sense.
“I felt like I did a better job but Holly is a great opponent and was very collected. My policy was very left-wing and socialist as well and you don’t know who is going to be in the audience and what their views are going to be.
“I felt really good after and I worked so hard, it was very intense.”
There are now 10 contestants remaining in the competition which is being judged by ex-Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.
Given had limited time on-screen during the first week of the contest but was eager to take a lead on a health issue close to her heart.
Having been diagnosed with autism a few years ago and subsequently having a challenging relationship with food, Given – who works as an NHS equality, diversity and inclusion officer - felt she was the right person to ensure the subject of obesity was handled in the right way.
She said: “I work for the NHS and I come from an NHS family, so I just have a soft spot for the NHS.
“But also I knew the topic was obesity and I knew that it needed to be handled sensitively and I wanted to make sure it was as someone who is autistic and has a lot of trouble with food.
"I have quite a difficult relationship with it. It’s what’s called Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and a lot of autistic people suffer from it.”
On the way to securing her place in next week’s show there were challenges as Given and her team initially struggled to decide on a clear policy, and a disjointed media launch involving team members dressed as a strawberry and French fries created tension in the ranks.
But she said a lot of clever editing gave the impression things were more unorganised than they actually were.
Given said: “There was a lot that wasn’t shown. I was very ambitious from the start and I had said about free school meals from the start, focus on children, I said a lot about how obesity is just a symptom of the problem and how poverty is the real issue.
“There was a lot of thoughtful discussion that wasn’t included in the edit.
“We were told we had to come up with a media launch before we knew what our policy was which is why it didn’t make sense. On the day, it caused a lot of tension.”
In the coming weeks, Given said viewers can expect more on her independence stance to shine through.
She said: “I talk a lot about it, it’s just whether it’s made the edit.”
