I am local and love my wonderfully diverse home town of Luton where I have lived virtually all my life.

Full statement

I was born in the Luton & Dunstable Hospital, I grew up in Biscot and went to Denbigh High School. I studied at Luton Sixth Form College before going to Leicester University. My first Saturday job was in Littlewoods in the Arndale (now Primark) and my first full-time job was at the TSB bank customer service centre that used to be on Cardiff Road. Later on in life, as part of my 20+ year career working in the public sector and wider civil service, I studied part-time for a Masters degree at the University of Bedfordshire in Luton.

I live in High Town with my partner Iain and, like you, I use our local services - I take the train from Luton Station, I shop locally (on High Town Road or Bury Park Sainsbury’s) and have gone to Woodland Avenue GP surgery since I was a baby! I'm involved in supporting our Luton community, as a governor at Luton Sixth Form College since 2014 and I'm a regular volunteer at Luton Foodbank.

Having spent my life in Luton, together with family and friends across the constituency, I know Luton like the back of my hand. I am a councillor on Luton Council, first elected over 8 years ago, currently representing High Town ward. I'm the Executive Member for Public Health.

I will be an MP who has real life experience, local credibility and a strong track record. And I believe it is imperative to be accountable to everyone you represent.

Since childhood I've always stood up for fairness and equality for all. This developed into a deep sense of social justice which I have held all my life. I have stood up for people's rights at work and against attacks on our pay and pensions.

We must tackle the inequalities between the very rich and the rest of us. Under Labour, our economy will work for the many. I have always advocated for democratic public ownership of key parts of our economy including our railways, energy, water and the Royal Mail. I am wholly opposed to the privatisation of our NHS and believe schools should be brought back under local authority control. We must put people before profit.

As your MP, I will stand up for the many, not the few.