Imagine if...
1. We got the basics right
An MP there for residents, not for private interests
Above all, Huntingdon residents want an MP who is present and engaged with local issues. I will be the full-time MP the constituency deserves and have resident surgeries in every town and village, with a team responding to all resident casework.
Monthly surgeries in our market towns - Huntingdon and St Ives.
A tour of all towns and villages every 6 months, holding constituency surgeries for every community.
A weekly resident newsletter and regular Q&A sessions on all main social media platforms keeping you up to date with local and Westminster work.
2. We have proper workers’ rights
Ending in-work poverty and discrimination
It’s simply not right that so many working people have to choose between eating and heating their homes. I will work to implement Labour’s New Deal for Working People for local residents - supporting rising pay, security and safety at work and tackling discrimination and workplace inequalities.
Encouraging local organisations and businesses to pay the Living Wage
Advocating for more funding in enforcement of national minimum wage and advocating for an increased minimum wage
Supporting Labour’s proposal for a single status of worker, giving all workers their basic rights on day one
3. We have thriving rural communities
Prosperity, not austerity for our farmers
Huntingdonshire farmers make a huge contribution to our economy, but have been let down by austerity policies and national skill shortages. I learnt a lot attending Young Farmers meetings for the last two years. I support the National Farmers’ Union Back British Farming campaign and I will work with local farmers and our businesses to address skill shortages, support local industry developing green technology and rural-proofing all policies.
Working with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor to improve the vocational skills offer for agriculture in our region, to address labour shortages
Campaigning to protect UK food standards and call for better work protections for seasonal jobs, as well as investment in minimum wage enforcement
Promoting our local businesses, seasonal and local products, and farmers’ markets
4. We have an NHS fit for purpose
Supporting the right to healthcare for all
The NHS should always be free at the point of use. I will ensure that healthcare is for the common good, not for profit. I will campaign for fair pay and conditions for our NHS staff, whether it’s doctors in Hinchingbrooke Hospital or social prescribers at the St Ives Primary Care Network.
Reducing waiting times at A&E and GP appointments and campaigning for better dentistry provision locally
Focussing on tackling health inequalities and prioritising prevention
Valuing mental health equally to physical health with better communication between primary and secondary care
5. We can all afford to live in decent housing conditions
Ending housing inequalities and reviving home ownership
Whether you are renting or owning your home, everyone should have safe and decent conditions to live in. As a private renter, I know how housing has become increasingly unaffordable under successive Tory Governments. I will campaign for renters’ rights reform and ending the Tory mortgage bombshell.
Supporting Labour’s renters’ reform plan to create a national private rented property standard and a national register of private landlords
Setting up a local private renters forum to listen directly to the lived experiences of renters in the constituency
Advocating for better regulation of HMOs and tougher penalties for breaches of renters’ rights
6. We feel safe in our neighbourhood
Reducing crime and anti-social behaviour
Everyone should feel safe in our towns and villages, whether at home or walking on the streets. Labour will bring back neighbourhood policing, putting extra officers on our streets. I will campaign for prevention rather than enforcement only, such as bringing more resources for youth centres and local community activities.
Implementing Labour’s national plan on crime to raise confidence in the police and the justice system
Preventing young people to be drawn into crime by putting access to mental health support workers in schools and expanding youth community centres and activities like sports
Pushing for more resources for the police to focus on rural crime, including vehicle theft, speeding and fly tipping
7. We can choose public transport as a genuine alternative
Making our public transport work with local control
We cannot reach our climate targets as a country if we do not reform transport. Public transport is not an alternative to driving for most people, especially for our villages. 1 in 4 people do not have access to a car. I have tried almost all bus routes in the constituency, regularly commute by train, and I know first-hand the challenges. I will work with our Labour Mayor Dr Nik Johnson to create a bus system with more local authority control, including on-demand rural transport such as Ting, which prioritises community need.
Supporting Labour’s bus reform plan to give powers to local authorities to set affordable fares and reinstate cancelled routes
Advocating for better bus and active travel routes connecting to various key locations, including Huntingdon train station, healthcare facilities and shops
Campaigning for more sustainable and better public transport connections for our schools and colleges
8. We can afford to provide the best start in life for our children
Investment in early years education and our schools
Every child deserves the best start in life. Under Tory governments, childcare became unaffordable for too many people from my generation trying to start a family. I will campaign for affordable childcare, to keep and expand our maintained nursery schools and supporting child and family centres. I will campaign for local school budgets to accurately reflect population demands, improved SEND support and Labour’s plan for free school breakfast clubs for all primary school children paid from ending tax breaks for private schools.
Supporting Labour’s national promise for free breakfast clubs and supporting our County Council continuing free school meals for all school holidays
Working closely with education unions, schools, early years organisations, parents and local providers to provide fairer funding and upskill the early years sector
Prioritising SEND funding and support so every child’s needs can be met locally
9. We value all skills in our economy
Breaking down the class ceiling in education
Our farms need soil scientists but also need fruit pickers. There is skill in every industry and area of work. I am passionate about developing green and quality jobs through vocational education locally and ending the narrative that success can only be defined through going to university. At the same time, I will campaign for universities to become more accessible to people from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds.
Ending the vocational vs. academic division and ensuring all young people are prepared with practical skills for the career they choose
Promoting skills for green industry jobs in our school system as well as for mature students
Supporting Labour’s national plans for a real-terms funded correction in teacher’s pay and local action to reduce high workload and improve staff retention
10. We have fair taxation
Putting people over profit
It’s not right that working people struggle to make ends meet but large corporations are increasing their profits during the Tory cost-of-living crisis. I believe companies operating in the UK should pay tax in the UK, which can be reinvested in local communities. I will campaign for support for small businesses and micro-enterprises in the constituency, as well as championing our not-for-profit sector which is currently delivering essential services following a decade of squeezed local budgets.
Support Labour’s national plans to cut business rates for small businesses, paid for by raising taxes on online companies such as Amazon
Encourage local businesses to become more energy efficient with Labour’s proposed national voucher scheme plan
Advocating for more local-level grants for charities and community organisations delivering essential services as well as start-up funding especially for young people wanting to open a business locally
11. We protect our environment with actions and proper investment
Tackling the climate crisis with local funding
The climate crisis is the biggest challenge facing this generation. We need to coordinate local and national work to be able to reach net zero goals, from transport reform to supporting community energy schemes. I will campaign for education on green jobs in schools and support Labour’s plans for publicly-owned GB energy and encouraging clean energy companies to set up manufacturing in the UK.
Working with the district council to deliver housing insulation schemes under Labour’s national plan to provide financial support to upgrade millions of homes
Collaborating with residents and local government to consider community energy schemes and supporting residents’ local environmental local groups and projects
Support Labour’s plans to reconfigure funds for farming and fishing to support sustainable practices, smaller traders, local economies and community benefits
12. We have a democratic system that works for all
Politics should reflect the communities it represents
Everyone who contributes to society should have a say in how it is governed. I will ensure that my work as an MP is co-produced with the groups affected by policies decided at Westminster, working with young people, care experienced people, migrants and refugees, BAME and LGBTQI+ communities, disabled people, and other under-represented groups in policy making.
Advocate for all local residents to have a say in decisions impacting them directly
Supporting the “Place of Safety” pledge to ensure residents, especially those with migrant background, can seek advice and representation from their MP without fear
Hold regular listening sessions with national and local charities and community groups working directly with under-represented communities to drive evidence-informed policy on diversity and equalities issues
