I currently have the honour of serving as the Member of Parliament for my home community of St Helens South & Whiston. I was born and raised here and I lived here all my life.

Since 2015 when I first became the MP, I have experienced three general elections. Each time I was honoured to be selected by my local community to represent them on the national stage.

Before entering Parliament, I served as a local councillor for over 30 years, including twice being the leader of the St Helens Council. Back in 2005 I was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for my service to local government. This was a great honour that I will never forget.

When I first started in Parliament I was proud to serve as a member of the Justice Select Committee, which I did up until May 2020. I was offered the position of whip in Keir Starmer’s front bench team, which I knew was an opportunity I could not turn down. As a member of the front bench team I will be able to better serve the people of St Helens South & Whiston.

For a period in 2017 I also served as Shadow Minister for Disabled People, which was a great honour as it is an issue very close to my heart.