Experienced

I joined the Labour Party in 1992 because I shared its values and believed that it offered hope for a fair and just future and one that believed in community. My parents are from Essex, I was brought up in the Midlands and studied at Sunderland Polytechnic moved to rural Bedfordshire and am now in Hertfordshire and work in London. From having lived all over the country it was clear that there was no one nation Britain, particularly under the Tories.

I believe in the principles of fairness, equality and social justice not just on the doorstep when campaigning but in everyday life too. For instance when I was working as a freelancer I realised that we had no union and so I helped to found a trade association and became a director and represented them. In my home town people were being bullied by the corporate local landlord in the town so I became a town councillor and stood up for them and found I had the principle, capability and courage to defend them all the way to the High Court and win.

I am in touch with what it is like to have lived in the North; the Midlands and the South. In touch with having worked in both the public and private sector. In touch with it is like to be both self-employed and employed; to have worked in both large and small firms and know what it is like to be unemployed. I am in touch with working in manufacturing, the service sector and in the City of London. As I am with family life having been married 22 years with three children.

I have the experience of being a Parliamentary candidate and ran a high profile campaign. As Mayor of Letchworth  I have the experience of representing and fighting for people. I was capable of winning Quality Town Status and gaining Fair Trade status. When leading the freelancers group I successfully changed government policy and numerous occasions.

I am capable of getting things done. I have setup a Small Business Forum in the Labour Party and have written a book on the social aspects of Garden Cities which in China they are keen to adopt and I am feeding these ideas in Labour policy making process.

For Labour to win the next election it needs to put forward candidates and have MP’s who, like me,  are in touch with everyday life and the community, have experience of both work and politics and are principled, capable and courageous.