Mum-of-eight ‘Benefits Queen’ set to run as councillor in local elections

A mum-of-eight who was once dubbed a “Benefits Queen” for raking in £500,000 in government money is now bidding to become a councillor. Marie Buchan, 43, first hit the headlines more than a decade ago over her hefty benefits package, but is now hoping to become a councillor in her home ward of Weoley and Selly Oak, in Birmingham.

Ms Buchan has pledged to knock on doors in the run-up despite being the target of hate messages. She said: “I know how difficult it is for people in my area, I’m one of them and I want to make a difference.”

Marie is among six independent candidates who will contest council places under the banner of Bishop Desmond Jaddoo’s #CleanBirmingham campaign, which rose from the city’s long-running bin strike, and last night, Bishop Jaddoo declared: “Marie is part of a family.”

It’s an unlikely new role for Marie after years of being targeted by tabloids. In 2018, they went to town after it emerged that she had travelled to Turkey for £1,500 worth of cosmetic surgery. Marie was also pilloried by the press for buying a horse.

She told The Sun at the time: “Being on benefits has never held me back from doing anything.”

Marie has since expressed regret over both excesses and is now committed to improving her neighbourhood. Of the horse purchase, she told Metro in 2024: “It was a big mistake. I was rubbing it in people’s faces and I was showing off and I really regret that.

“He’s now gone because I couldn’t afford to keep him. Maybe if I go back to work I could buy another one.”

She wants to cultivate positive press. “None of my eight children have been in trouble,” she said last night. “That should tell you something about the person I am.

“I see it around me, I see the rubbish being dumped, I know how hard life is for people.”

Marie, still on benefits, gave birth to her first child at the age of 19. The eldest has now left home.

In 2023, she opened up to BirminghamLive about fears for her children’s future after being stabbed during a violent scuffle.

Marie said: “I see videos everywhere of people getting stabbed. Everyone is carrying a knife and it is so scary especially if you have kids. My nine-year-old daughter saw someone being chased in the park with a knife. Schools are now doing stop and searches as well.

“I can’t do anything to stop it but I can teach people to surrender weapons to a knife bin.”

Of the negative stories that have followed her, she added: “It’s all part of a process, it’s opened my eyes to a lot of things. I’m strong enough to stand in the elections because I’m not on my own, I’m part of something, and because of the journey I’ve been on.”

Carrying the slogan “Enough Is Enough”, Bishop Jaddoo is standing in the Kingstanding area of Birmingham. The other candidates are: Alexander Jaddoo (Holyhead), Sonya Anderson (Newtown) Dorothy Gerald (Aston), Mark Hudson (Brandwood and Kings Heath).

Desmond sees their lack of a political background as a plus. “They are normal people with no affiliation to political parties. They live in the wards and want to make a difference,” he said.

“It is time for change. We must drive that change and ensure there is strong, accountable representation at a local level that truly involves the people. For far too long, communities have been left behind and have lost hope. We believe this moment can bring new energy into local politics, helping Birmingham move beyond the challenges of recent years and become the great city it deserves to be.”

Weoley & Selly Oak Ward candidates in full

Jigar Bhagalia – Conservative and Unionist Party

Marie Buchan – Independent

Eleanor Cotton – Green Party

Paolo Said Gianluca – Liberal Democrats

Kiran Gulia – Labour Party

Stewart David Holroyd – Labour Party

Elly Stanton – Liberal Democrats

Cherie Louise Waddingham – Reform UK

George Louis Webb – Conservative and Unionist Party