Championing Human Rights: Lucy Shearer’s Path to Westminster

Lucy Shearer, a University of York alumna, found her passion for human rights during her studies. Inspired by global events like the Syrian crisis, she established the Refugee Society and now runs the Westminster Office of Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham and Chair of the International Development Select Committee. Alumni Voices speaks to Lucy about her journey.

Can you tell us about what you studied at York and your time at the University?

“My degree was in English and Philosophy. I really loved the subjects, but university was less about my degree and more about working out what my interests and passions were. At Freshers Fair, I noticed there were no activism projects dedicated to refugees, which is something I had planned to join if it existed. So, a few days into university, I set up the now 8-year-old refugee society, Student Action for Refugees (STAR).” 

How did you become interested in the rights of refugees originally?

“I started university in 2016, when the Syrian crisis was in the news everyday. There was one picture of the two year old, Alan Kurdi, washed up on the beach. I couldn’t understand why there was no outrage and such little action from the Government. I think that’s where it all started for me.”

What are your fondest memories of your time here?

“I really loved the people I met. As a student, you don’t tend to interact much outside your age group, but I was lucky enough to work with some of the kindest people in the city, from the local council, to mosques, churches and small businesses. These were the same people who helped make York the UK’s first Human Rights City. I haven’t really seen a community making change like that since.”

After leaving university, what did the early stages of your career look like?

“I think I had an unconventional path into politics, partly because I never planned to end up in it. I knew I wanted to work in something connected to advocacy and human rights, so I started by doing a masters in International Development at the London School of Economics. 

Not long after that I was working at an anti-slavery NGO, consulting companies on how to protect human rights in their operations and supply chains. From there, I moved to the House of Commons, to help establish Parliament’s Modern Slavery Programme. I spent about two years building it up, before eventually moving into Sarah Champion’s office.”

How was the application process?

“Intense! Getting a job with an MP is not easy, nor should it be. It comes with a lot of responsibility, so it’s important that they hire the right person.” 

Is your career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?

“I always knew I’d end up working on something I was really passionate about, so in that sense, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

In terms of challenges, I was starting out in the middle of COVID. Trying to get a first job in the middle of a lockdown was no fun. It was actually through volunteering that I was offered my first job, which I would recommend to anyone struggling to find their first role.” 

What is your current role? 

“My official job title is Research Manager. Essentially, that means I lead on the parliamentary and policy work connected to Westmister.

Sarah is a leading voice in human rights, violence against women and girls, anti-slavery, and social justice. I lead multiple projects and campaigns to further these causes, whether that’s writing speeches, supporting the development of good legislation, or platforming the voices of the people we work with and for. 

A key part of my role is making sure we’re doing as much as we possibly can for Rotherham, using every opportunity to further the cause of the constituents and what they need from the Government. 

Sarah also Chairs the International Development Select Committee, which ends up forming a significant part of the work. The committee scrutinises the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in respect of aid policy, and the expenditure of Official Development Assistance across UK government departments. It’s a great committee that’s led some really important, world-leading inquiries on topics like Gaza, Atrocity Prevention and Debt Relief.

I started my role 2 weeks before the election, which was unusual! The campaign was a really good way to meet people in the constituency. On July 4 we were at the vote count, up until 4am waiting for our result, while watching the Labour landslide live on TV. After 14 years of waiting for a Labour Government, it was all quite surreal.” 

Do you get to see the results of your actions? How do you get that sense of achievement at the end of the day?

“I’m yet to end a day without feeling like I’ve contributed to something positive. You can really see how the work translates into something tangible, whether that’s something really big, like a shift in government policy, or something more local, like seeing an improvement to a constituent’s situation after years of difficulty.”

What would you say are the best and the most challenging parts of your job?

“The best part is the sense of fulfilment. Working with Sarah and learning from her has been such a privilege. I suppose the challenging part is how demanding it is. Juggling people management, while keeping up with the news, the constituency and international policy too, isn’t easy.”

If you could implement one immediate change in government policy today, what would it be and why?

“I would love to see a cross-departmental strategy in place to tackle modern slavery in the UK and our international supply chains. The UK used to be a world leader in its modern slavery response, but now I think legislation and policy is due an update.”

What do you think the future holds for refugee and human rights advocacy in the UK?

“I’m hopeful, for the first time in a long time. It won’t be overnight, but I know there are good people leading this work who want to see positive, meaningful change.”

What would be your three top tips for alumni looking to have a career at the House of Commons?

“If you want a political career here, your CV needs to reflect why. Lots of people want to work in politics, so showcasing and evidencing why it should be you, is important. 

I also think people assume when you work here you’re either working for an MP or working in policy. But I started in an a-political role. There is a really wide range of roles all under one roof, so being open to all the opportunities on offer is a good place to start.

The other thing I recommend is doing research on the organisation, and really understanding its values – it’s quite a value driven place so that kind of understanding is really important.” 

What’s next for you in your career?

“No idea! I still feel like I’m learning the ropes in this job, it’s hard to imagine what’s next. Whatever I do, it will be in human rights space.”

Working in the House of Commons must be very demanding. What do you like to do in your spare time to unwind?

“Lots of yoga and reading.”

How did the York Futures Scholarship help you whilst at the University of York and help you get into the career you’re in now?

“Coming from a single parent household, it helped me massively in a very practical sense. It meant I could buy a laptop and reduce hours in my part time job. This meant I could devote time to other projects, like learning Arabic, setting up a National Donation Point and going abroad to volunteer. This was all stuff I wouldn’t have been able to do if I hadn’t got the financial backing. It was these experiences that formed my application for my postgrad, which was a prerequisite to get me into the field I’m in now. 

The scholarship was also a massive vote of confidence at the time. When I started university, I had no idea that I could do anything particularly special, but being awarded the Futures Scholarship changed that. Yes, the financial element is really important, but it was the vote of confidence that really spurred me on. 

I now hold a position on York’s Alumni Board. My scholarship was funded through the alumni community, who I was grateful to meet several times throughout my time at University. The first-hand experience of student action reinforced by the alumni community, has made me really passionate about strengthening the relationship between alumni and students, to help promote more grassroots change.”

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