My Story
St Helens North is my home, and I am honoured to be our Member of Parliament. I live in St Helens North with my wife and two young children and I was a teacher in local schools for nearly a decade. Before that, I was a volunteer youth worker with children and young people in Moss Bank.
I was Leader of the Council from 2019, taking us through the challenges of Covid, ongoing austerity and the cost of living crisis.
I grew up in Haydock in the 80’s, raised by my mum and dad who are from Blackbrook and Parr. They worked all hours and days to make ends meet and I couldn’t have asked for better role models.
We felt the devastation Thatcher’s government did to communities, especially ones like ours. Through difficult times my family taught me the importance of hard work, compassion and community from an early age. Those values guide everything I do.
I was nearly 18 before I saw a Labour government and the difference it made to families like mine and communities like ours, and another generation has suffered under the Tories in the last 14 years.
At KGV park in Haydock, early 80s
For more than 20 years as a Labour member and proud trade unionist I’ve campaigned right across the borough.
I first stood for election in 2013 for the ward I live in because I wanted to try and make a difference to my local community. I then started working for the Labour Party as a campaign organiser and for a Labour MP and Shadow Minister, for the same reason I got into teaching - to try and help people.
In 2019 I was given the huge honour and responsibility of leading the Council. We've faced massive challenges in this time, and as Leader of our fantastic Labour team I’ve fought tooth and nail for our communities on the local, regional and national stage, from leading efforts to support communities through the pandemic and cost of living emergency to building new schools, taking Children’s Services from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’, agreeing plans and funding for once in a lifetime regeneration of our town centres, beginning work to bring Earlestown Town Hall and the Gamble back into full public use, delivering transformational projects like Glass Futures and Parkside redevelopment, and much more.
Like my Dad took me, now I take my own sons to Saints
As a teacher and as a councillor I’ve seen the impact of Tory chaos, and as a resident I've felt it, just like we did in the 80s. Our public services are decimated. Our health services are on their knees. Our schools struggle to set a budget.
The Tories have stacked the deck against working people and communities like ours. We deserve better, and that's why I am taking the fight for you to Parliament.
As someone who knows and loves our communities I have the determination to deliver for you and our home. I'm not interested in being part of any cosy Westminster club - I'll do whatever it takes to get things done for our community.
I have always put the interests of our local area first, and I always will.
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I've always fought for our communities, and I always will
