In over 16 years of representing Walthamstow as our Labour and Co-operative MP, I'm proud of the difference we have made together: whether banning payday lenders ripping off our community; pushing back against the madness of Brexit as Chair of the Labour Movement for Europe; or standing up for the rights of women to access a safe and legal abortion across the UK.
Life is tough for many in our community and our country, as the enduring cost of living crisis, conflict around the world and inequality damage the prospects of many. Now more than ever they need political leadership and solutions to the challenges they face so that they can realise their potential.
Yet British public life has become polluted with a toxic culture of abuse, harassment and defeat — fed by those who want to deny progressive political campaigns can be a force for good in our world. In the past year alone I have been targeted by the right-wing press for dancing at a Walthamstow disco and supporting local businesses to daring to be a mother in politics.
Now more than ever I recognise the need to show in word and deed that change is possible. Where we show — on issues from cheap energy to safer streets — that through collaboration we can achieve radical progress in our society. From Walthamstow to Westminster, we need to show those who wish to divide us also wish to hold us back. When we stand up for what we believe in we show them that We Can Build It Better.
That's why I'm asking for your help to stand up for True Labour, and ensure Walthamstow's voice is as loud as it can be for a better future for all.
By making a regular monthly donation, you will be able to contribute to my Working for Walthamstow team. I am asking for a regular monthly donation to be able to help pay for the staff and support our campaigns require. I don't take any large donations or have any second jobs and I refuse to use unpaid interns, so I rely on supporters like you. Every pound will go towards campaigning and organising on the issues that matter.
Speaking up for immigration that strengthens our country
True Labour doesn't fear those who are different. It asks everyone to contribute what they can, and clears away the barriers others would put in their path. That includes those who have made our community their home: people fleeing conflict and destitution, the carers and NHS staff we rely on, our friends and neighbours. I'll keep defending migrants' rights and making the socialist case for reforms that can sustain everything immigration brings to our country and our community.
Speaking out against the predators in our economy
In my time as an MP I have fought the payday lenders, the Buy Now Pay Later companies and more recently those conning my constituents online with dodgy tax advice. I've changed the law to tackle those who prey on the most vulnerable in our community — and will keep fighting these legal loan sharks to ensure the public are protected from them whatever shape they take. The faces change and the tricks evolve, but the predator's instinct is the same: to extract wealth from those who can least afford to lose it. I'll keep using every lever Parliament offers to make those who exploit our most vulnerable pay the price.
Calling for a green energy revolution with Walthamstow front and centre
Rising bills and temperatures mean one thing: politics must meet the moment and provide solutions that can be affordable and accessible to all. There is real hope in the technology that is now available to help tackle the cost-of-living and climate crises. In Walthamstow we have always led from the front — inspired by our neighbours, with hundreds of roads coming together as the Walthamstow Power Station. I will continue to do all I can to champion a green energy revolution and help Walthamstow continue to lead the way.
For a new settlement on childcare and parental leave
…that tackles the motherhood penalty and gives dads a right to be a parent too.
The motherhood penalty blights our society — holding back 51% of the population whether they have kids or not. Whether maternity discrimination, the lack of paid parental leave or the absence of any support for self-employed parents and carers and those on universal credit, our system pushes mothers out of work and pushes fathers out of the chance to be the parent they want to be. I will continue to campaign to recognise childcare as economic infrastructure and to make it truly universal, and to ensure every parent and carer has paid parental leave rights.
To fight against the sustained culture-war attack on women's rights and equality
Women's bodies are a new frontier in the culture war being fought by the far right. Imported into our debates by Reform and Nigel Farage from the US, the debates around fertility, abortion and the role of women in society are about the power to define the value of women at all. This means abortion access, equality legislation and human rights are all at risk — whether for women, the trans community or refugees. I will continue to stand up and be counted: calling it out, voting it down, and refusing to let hard-won rights be chipped away by people who want to drag us backwards.
Campaigning tirelessly for a new deal with Europe
…that rips up the red lines holding back Britain's relationship with Europe.
I campaigned against Brexit, and I've never stopped fighting for a closer relationship with Europe as Chair of the Labour Movement for Europe. I see the damage Brexit has caused every single day — whether for the businesses who can no longer trade with Europe due to the paperwork, the artists and creatives whose life has been made more difficult by leaving the EU, or the risk it presents to our national security not to cooperate with our neighbours through EU institutions. I will continue to lead the call for us to restore our relationship with Europe by ripping up the red lines that hold it back and focusing on how we make the case for cooperation with our neighbours for our businesses, our jobs, our defence, our climate and our people.
Legislating for a change in our political culture
…through a cap on individual donations, electoral reform and tackling misinformation online.
Cash for access, cash for questions, lobbyists, donations and poor government vetting — each has eaten away at trust in our democracy. The remedy isn't complicated. Never again should anyone be able to hide the source of their money through a third party, or write a cheque so large it drowns out every other voice in our democracy. We should match changes to political donations with a fairer voting system and deliberative democracy. True Labour is not possible without true democracy — and that begins with how we vote and how we fund our politics.
Thank you — Stella