About me

I am the candidate for the Green Party in the St Helens South and Whiston constituency. Born in Whiston Hospital in 1985, I grew up in Eccleston and went to school locally, before moving to Leeds to train as a doctor. As a student, I campaigned on global health and environmental causes with Medsin. As a junior doctor, I started campaigning against the privatisation of the NHS and the changes that the current government wanted to carry out. Now, I work as an A&E doctor, and hope to be an A&E consultant in a few years. I know what it means to be on the frontline of the NHS. After volunteering as a children’s doctor in Malawi, I have returned to St Helens, and would like the opportunity to represent a fresh take on politics for the people of St Helens South and Whiston.

Although I’ve been political ever since the Iraq invasion of 2003, I only joined the Green Party in July 2014. I’ve been increasingly frustrated over the past few years, about many issues facing the UK and globally, economically and ecologically. The effects of a failing austerity programme and the ideological attack on the NHS, has led us to this point of crisis in the health service. The reality is that the NHS is still a fantastic service, and I feel proud to be a part of it, but it is far from perfect. It’s problems and solutions can’t be reduced to a little political snippet.

The Green Party generally got my vote in the local and European elections but in the last General Election, I voted Liberal Democrat like many others who have since joined the Green Party. When they went into power with the Conservatives, I felt let down. I had hope in Labour. I thought they’d be a renewed force for the people, and I was willing to give them a chance after 2010, but I’ve failed to see anything new from them, unwilling to stand up for people, for the future – just like the other Westminster parties, including UKIP. Now, I see that only the Green Party have the right ideas and confidence to take us out of the politics of old, and build a better future together.

I’m not naive about the prospects for the Green Party in St Helens. The Green Party faces an uphill struggle against the unfair voting system that we have, but I believe that we can make a big dent in the Labour majority. With every vote for the Green Party, we will build a stronger base from which to fight future elections. Every Green vote will send a message to other politicians that we’re tired of the old politics, and we want politics to work for the people and planet, not for politicians and their paymasters.