Cumbria is my home and I'm so proud to be standing to be your Labour MP and Whitehaven and Workington's voice in Parliament.

Full statement

I live here in Cumbria with my partner and our two Lurchers, Huck and Molly, and I'm also a volunteer in the Mountain Rescue in the Lake District, a challenging role which I love.



West Cumbria has a proud history of shaping the UK's future and we can again. Our biggest problems all have answers here. But we've been stuck on the wrong path for years thanks to the Tories, who've failed to deliver for our area, crashed the economy and left thousands of local families struggling to make ends meet and worried for the future.



I have a record of delivery outside politics that shows you can have confidence in me to get the job done as your MP. My whole career has been spent delivering change for those left out or forgotten. Whether as a teacher working in tough schools, founding and leading a national charity which recruited thousands more social workers, or leading a landmark national review for vulnerable children which delivered £200 million of new investment to support children and families.



As your MP I will fight for and deliver for West Cumbria. I'll be spending the next few months meeting thousands of local people, listening to your concerns and turning those into my priorities to deliver as your MP after the next General Election.