I feel incredibly privileged to represent the Labour Party as your parliamentary candidate for Maldon. Essex is my home, and I am deeply invested in its future, and the future of our country. For 14 long years, the Conservative government has squandered our nation’s potential, stymied economic growth and mismanaged our coffers. In Maldon, our NHS is at breaking point and our hospital faces closure. The affordable houses we need aren’t being built. Our roads are crumbling and public transport is lacking, sewage is polluting our rivers and our coastline, and families and local businesses are struggling with the cost of living and the impact of inflation. It’s time to rediscover ambition, to bring hope where there is weariness and herald a new dawn for Maldon, and Britain. Labour has set out its mission to get Britain’s future back, with a focus on economic stability, and a plan to get our NHS back on track and to bring safety and security back to our streets. We are committed to spreading opportunity across our country so that we can tell our children and grandchildren that if you work hard and play by the rules, you will get on in life – something that is sadly no longer the case for too many people as the cost of living crisis continues to make lives harder. Over the past 15 years, I have built a successful career in business and I know that we need a government committed to economic stability, providing businesses with the certainty they need to invest, grow and create new jobs. The Conservatives have shown they can’t be trusted with our economy. Labour will deliver stability and growth with investment guided by strong fiscal rules, a new National Wealth Fund and a new industrial strategy. As a Mother of two, I am passionate about providing a better future for our children. I have held a non-executive position with a charity supporting young people who have been failed by the current education system, I serve as a school Governor at an Ofsted outstanding school, have successfully campaigned to keep local libraries open, and am currently involved in a project to use the Arts to support mental health provision for millions of young people. I am a firm believe that the Arts can bring beauty and respite from life’s challenges, and can be a vehicle for transformation and social cohesion. I want to help build a country that cares for working people and is compassionate, with a government that will usher in economic change and that is eager to serve the public and improve their lives. I support Labour’s plan to make work pay, including better protections for workers and making work more family-friendly. I will also work to improve the opportunities for people with disabilities. I currently Chair a network of professionals in business, who seek to raise awareness, remove stigma and improve the experience of those with disabilities in the workplace. Whether you see yourself as a Labour voter or have never voted Labour before – now is your chance to vote for the change that Maldon and our country need. I promise to work hard to ensure that we bring the benefits of a new, stronger economy, renewed NHS, improved transport, environmental protections and sustainable public services to Maldon.