This polling week, CHAOS Radio is featuring each of the candidates standing in the 2024 general election here in the Newquay and St Austell constituency. Keep it CHAOS to read their views, plans, and priorities for our community.
I’m thrilled to be standing as Labour ’s candidate for St Austell & Newquay. Coming from a family of local nurses and teachers, I know what it’ll take to fix our NHS which is crumbling after 14 years of Tory mismanagement.
In my day job, I’ve worked with agricultural, renewable, mineral and industrial projects in developing countries, so I have the right skills to help bring jobs and prosperity to our part of Cornwall, including for younger generations, whose voice is too often overlooked in Cornish politics.
I’m excited to bring forward Labour’s manifesto but wanted to outline my first steps locally, which are to:
Work to bring jobs and prosperity back
Bringing jobs and prosperity back to what was once a powerhouse of the Cornish economy, and has huge potential in renewables and minerals, ready to be unlocked by Labour’s industrial strategy.
We take a joined-up approach to – it involves mobilising the right capital, which will enable our community to have a stake in our energy systems and, ultimately, bring down bills.
Tackle the Cornish housing crisis
I’ll take a tough line on second homes and big developers, putting affordable homes for local people first.
Revitalise our town centres, public infrastructure and services
I’ll stand up for small businesses and in training thousands more police officers, doctors, nurses and carers, ensure we have the foundations for our towns to thrive.
We need to get the basics right. The state of both St Austell and Newquay’s town centres has reached crisis point and we need an MP who’s willing to roll up their sleeves to address and make sure the services we’re commissioning are the right ones, and to crack down on poor-quality providers where they’re taking the taxpayer for a ride.
We need to work to bring jobs and prosperity back to our area, which was once a powerhouse of the Cornish economy.
We need to take a tough stance on second homes to help ensure local people can afford to live here, and work to rebuild our town centres and crumbling public infrastructure which have been left in tatters after 14 years of Tory austerity.
Labour’s programme of national renewal, with Cornish Labour MPs to bring it to fruition here, is what we need now.
I’m thrilled to be making my case for a fresh start for St Austell and Newquay.
I’m a financial analyst and economic development specialist from Lostwithiel.
Last year, I took a lead in Cornish politics, launching the successful campaign against Conservative-run Cornwall Council’s school bus cuts, which saw a U-Turn in December 2023 after addressing the full council.
At 29, I’d also be the first Labour MP for the constituency and could also be the first under the age of 30 since Matthew Taylor was elected in Truro & St Austell in 1987.
I joined the Labour Party in 2010 while campaigning in Cornwall against the tripling of tuition fees, studied History at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus and am an alumnus of Fowey Community College.
I later went on to gain master’s degrees in economic history and business administration and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
I have spent the last five years working for publicly-owned development funds, investing in developing countries, in a range of sectors including agroforestry, renewables, and industrial projects.
In my spare time, I am a keen musician, having played the violin in a rock band in venues across Cornwall while at college. I also enjoy cycling, surfing and art.
For features of the other six candidates standing in the 2024 general election here in the Newquay and St Austell constituency, head on over to CHAOS Radio News.
CHAOS Radio were out and about in the local area last week, capturing a snapshot of the issues that matter to you most.
In a special election broadcast, we explore Education, Economy, Environment, Housing, Healthcare and, Social and Community Concerns; and contextualise these against the main parties’ manifestos to give you a greater perspective ahead of casting your vote.
Click HERE to learn more and to watch the broadcast back in full.
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