‘It hasn’t sunk in’
Malta-born Kevin Bonavia elected to House of Commons
Malta-born Kevin Bonavia has been elected to the House of Commons on the Labour Party ticket.
He was elected from the north London constituency of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, turning it red for the first time since 2010.
Bonavia amassed 17,698 votes, beating Conservative Alex Clarkson, who received 11,080 votes.
Speaking soon after the result for Stevenage was announced, Bonavia said it was “honour of his life” to be elected. He promised to “return the
role of MP to its founding purpose – service”.
Born in Malta 46 years ago, he spent his early childhood in Rabat and helped his father rent umbrellas and boats on the beach. Then, aged eight, he moved to the UK where his dad worked as a cab driver before his parents started a café and then a video rental store.
In his victory speech, Bonavia paid tribute to his parents’ role, thanking them for instilling in him from a young age the idea that “if someone needs help, or there’s a problem that needs to be fixed, you roll up your sleeves and you fix it”.
Stevenage was created as a constituency in 1983. It voted Tory for 14 years until Tony Blair won a landslide
for Labour in 1997 and Barbara Follett replaced Tim Wood as its MP.
Bonavia takes up the mantle from Tory MP Stephen McParland, who decided to call it a day. Speaking to Times of Malta hours after his victory, he said it felt “very special” but “hasn’t totally sunk in yet”.
“I know I have now got a very big responsibility on my shoulders and I really cannot wait to start doing the work,” he said.
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I really cannot wait to start doing the work
“I am very proud of my dad, John Bonavia. I only wish he was still around to be able to see this because he knew this was a dream I had since I was very young. Part of that victory was for him.”
Analysing the “remarkable” wider election result, which saw Labour return to power after 14 years in opposition, Bonavia said there was a “mood for change” across the UK.
“People felt that time had run up for the last government and they are ready for something new. In the meantime, Labour had changed itself in a way that we are now connected with the daily concerns of the people,” he said.