About Me

I am involved in politics because I believe we were all created equally.

We all have equal worth and government policy should reflect that. That means for example that every child should have a fair start in life and that we do all we can to reduce unemployment.

Senior Fund Manager & UK Strategist, Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church and Epworth Investment Management

I manage funds for the CFB and Epworth Investment Management: the UK Equity Fund (over £300m), deposit fund, and gilt funds.  I also work on the Corporate Bond Fund.  I am responsible for the UK strategy (economic and market analysis).  The CFB manages money on behalf of the Methodist Church in Great Britain.  I look at both company finances and at how socially responsible they are.  This means I also analyse issues such as human rights, the environment, employment conditions, supply chains, gambling, defence, and alcohol promotion.  I contribute to economic strategy research.  The role combines finance and the voluntary sector.

Chair, Vauxhall Constituency Labour Party

Vauxhall is a constituency with a diverse community and people of all sorts of economic backgrounds.  It forms part of the London Borough of Lambeth.  I have lived there for sixteen years.  As constituency chair, I work with our MP, Kate Hoey, and coordinate constituency party activities.  We are blessed with some great Labour councillors and activists who were instrumental in winning back Lambeth for Labour in 2006.

I am also Vice Chair of the Lambeth Campaigns Forum (equivalent to a Labour Local Government Committee), responsible for overseeing campaigns and literature.

Political Communications Officer, Christian Socialist Movement

The Christian Socialist Movement is part of the Labour Party.  It brings together Labour members who share the Christian faith and it acts as a bridge between the Party and churches.  I have responsibility for all our media output, from the website to the magazine, to news releases and coordinating media appearances.  I have been Vice Chair in the past and led CSM in renewing its statement of values.

Parliamentary candidate

I was the Labour Parliamentary candidate for Wantage in 2001.  I retained Labour's second place position, coming 5,600 (28.2%) votes behind the Conservative candidate.

Unite: the Union

I am a member of the union Unite and a member of Unite's Parliamentary Panel.  I am a workplace representative for the Faithworkers' branch and represent the branch on Vauxhall Labour Party's General Committee.

Some other things

I am a Cooperative Party member.  I have served as a governing member of the council of Guys and St Thomas Hospital Trust, a school governor and a parish councillor.  I'm on the boards of Policy Network and the New City Network.