Polly Billington MP (Photography by Dinendra Haria) 9 min read1 hr Polly Billington, chair of Labour’s coastal group of MPs, talks to Noah Vickers about how her party can deliver for the seaside, why Ed Miliband was ahead of his time as leader, and the need for a ‘national conversation’ about data centres Polly Billington is something of a Westminster lifer – she spent several years as a BBC political reporter before becoming an adviser to Ed Miliband, including during his time as Labour leader. But now, at the second time of asking, Billington is a player herself rather than a journalist or adviser. And since her election as Labour MP for East Thanet, the 58-year-old has positioned herself as a champion of coastal communities. Psephologists may argue about why it was that Labour won so many coastal seats. Was it really down to ‘Whitby woman’ switching to Keir Starmer – or just the type of seat profile where the vote split evenly between Reform and Conservatives? If Labour wants to …