Hello and welcome to Women with Balls, where I, Katie Balls, speak to today's trailblazers.

My guest today was born in Sheffield, where at King Edwards School, her talents for the sciences earned her a place at Cambridge University.

Whilst not initially party political, she was interested in politics from a young age, right for her career

as a science teacher, business owner, and then raising her free children. Soon, the draw towards

politics became too strong and her career changed track. She began her political career as a parish

councillor before eventually standing for the Conservative Party in the 2019 general election.

She won in a swing vote and has been championing issues such as leveling up online harms and gender politics ever since.

On her beliefs, my guest said, if you give people control over their money, family and lives, they generally make good decisions.

The basis of conservatism is to give people autonomy and to trust them.

My guest today is Miriam Kates.

Miriam, thank you very much for coming on the podcast today.

And we always begin by saying, how would you describe your childhood?

Was it a happy one?

Yeah, very happy childhood.

And my parents are amazing people.

And probably as all children, I didn't realize that at the time, but I certainly do now.

And you growing up in Sheffield, so at the time during the era was it, you know, pretty industrial,

what was it like growing up?

Yes, I mean, I'm from a fairly typical middle class family, but certainly Sheffield in the 80s and

90s was both industrial and very political. And I remember at primary school in the 80s, we sang rhymes about Thatcher and how we wanted her dead.

And, you know, in secondary school, my secondary school was absolutely socialist to its core.

And it was very, you know, we call Sheffield the capital of the People's Republic of South Yorkshire.

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