With a snap General Election called this week by Rishi Sunak,we spoke with a former No10 adviser for his take on recent politics and what he’s hoping for from a new Government.
Samuel Kasumu was a special advisor under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, up until April of 2021 and has worked as an elected local councillor in Hertfordshire.
After leaving Number 10, Samuel has been travelling and writing his new book, The Power of the Outsider, in which he reflects upon his experience in Government and the impact his early life had on his career journey.
“I think growing up in a single parent home, working, the social housing, moving a lot and going to different schools has all helped me to, firstly, have a sense of mission, but it’s also allowed me to understand the plight of ordinary people.”
“My background has very much shaped how I choose to live my life. It is what inspires me to want to make an impact.”
As for his experience in politics, Samuel believes it has shown him what you can achieve when in a position of power.
Before his first job in the House of Commons, he helped to run a social enterprise that would often struggle to get funding. But once he was working within the House of Commons, it took only 30 minutes of having a casual conversation over lunch one day for someone to offer that money and send a cheque weeks later.
“That taught me that, actually, to make an impact at scale, you need to get into the circles where people can leverage off funding and decision making.”
“There’s no point being outside holding a placard, you need to make sure you have a seat at the table.”
Working with two prime ministers in the last few years, Samuel believes his history in politics has made him much more pragmatic than he once was.
“I think I went into public life very much an idealist, which I am to a large extent, but I also understand that to get things done, you need to be able to pull certain levers.”
When asked what his thoughts were on what an in-coming government’s priorities should be, Samuel’s main response revolved around the current cost of living crisis.
“The Cost of Living crisis has had a huge impact on everybody’s lives, so it’ll be interesting to see how an incoming government views what is required to improve the lives of ordinary people.”
Fundamentally, to rectify the damage of the crisis, there needs to be a plan in place for growth to get Britain back to an economy that is inspiring, which currently he believes it not to be.
Samuel has also worked with Citadel and its founder, Jonathan Hopkins, on many different projects. This includes chairing panels in the Youth Zone programme of events now in its 15th season at the party conferences.
“Citadel engages with individuals and stakeholders at the highest level, to try and improve outcomes for young people.”
“As we head towards a general election, I think this will be pivotal in making sure that better outcomes for young people is at the heart of all the parties’ manifestos and commitments.”
Citadel 