PPC Profile: Rebecca Rennison

Full Name: Rebecca Rennison

Age: 27

From: Currently London/Wiltshire (my father was in the military, moving every two years growing up makes it difficult to answer the “from” question!)

PPC for: South West Wiltshire

Selection Result: Decisive

Member of the Labour Party since: School

CV:
After spells in an embassy, parliament and working for a thinktank, I now work for a disability charity. In my role I lobby the government for change and it has helped me develop a more rounded view of many Labour policies and see areas where we clearly need to do much more.

I was inspired to go into politics because:
Perhaps naively, I want to make a difference.

My main policy interests are:
Welfare reform, environmental policy and education.

Three things I think should be in the next Labour manifesto are:
1 – A doubling of the carer’s allowance. Carers are given just over £50 a week for a minimum of 35 hours a week spent caring. It should be a priority of any Labour government to improve on this and ensure that Britain’s 6 million carers are given the recognition they deserve.

2 – A radical rethink of how we deliver further and higher education. Currently not enough is being done to ensure that continuing education is an option for all. In particular I believe that with rising university costs the Government should review how courses are delivered and look at more flexible options, such as condensed or extended courses, to ensure that all students are able to access a course that meets their needs.

3 – A review of Trident – whilst there is a strong argument for maintaining a nuclear deterrent there is need for a debate on the scale of this and how we can remain credible in non-proliferation talks if we fail to scale back our own arsenal?

I think people should vote for me because:
I think it is very difficult for politicians to espouse values of trust and honesty and be believed in today’s climate. I would ask people to get to know me, listen to my views, and if they agree with me, vote for me. If not I would say please still vote. I am extremely proud to live in a democracy, yet far too many people don’t exercise their right to vote. I would rather someone voted against me and still voted rather than not vote at all.

AOB:
More needs to be done to ensure that the Labour Party is a Party for all its members. A focus on Westminster and winnable seats sees many local parties left with little or no contact from the central Party. However, these are the very parties we need to fundraise, get local councillors elected and campaign, both locally and in other seats. Another part of the same problem is Conference. Currently, the annual conference serves only the purposes of the initiated, those who already understand how it works. We need to open up the process to ensure that all members can follow proceedings and we need to reintroduce real debate (including an end to candidates using their speeches to score points in the constituency, rather than debate the issues at stake). Too many members are becoming detached from the Party, it needs to resume its role as a hub for debate and a motivating force for change, for too many members, belonging to the Labour Party is little more than a direct debit and a monthly meeting and this has to change.