‘A mayor for Norfolk and Suffolk who’ll get things done for our region’

CLPs in Norfolk and Suffolk are nominating applicants seeking to become Labour’s candidate for the first Norfolk and Suffolk mayoral election next year. You can find articles written by the other applicants here.

Labour members across Norfolk and Suffolk are now voting to choose our party’s candidate for the first-ever Norfolk & Suffolk mayoral election next year. It’s a historic moment — and a critical one for our future.

Over the past couple of weeks, it’s been brilliant to meet members across our region during the hustings process — to listen, to share ideas, and to feel the energy and optimism that’s building across our movement. People want change. They want a Labour Mayor who’ll deliver for every part of Norfolk and Suffolk, and who’ll turn this new role into something real and transformative.

I’m standing because I care deeply about our region. Norfolk and Suffolk aren’t just beautiful places, they’re full of potential. From Norwich to Ipswich, Lowestoft to King’s Lynn, Bury St Edmunds to Great Yarmouth, our region is bursting with talent, creativity and community spirit. But for too long, we’ve been overlooked. It’s time to change that.

My commitment to our region runs deeper than geography. It’s rooted in belief. A belief that every community matters and that no one should be written off because of where they live. Our future depends on recognising that potential is everywhere, from coast to country, from village hall to city centre. The new mayor must harness that energy, bringing people, communities, and businesses together with a shared purpose: to build a fairer, greener, more prosperous future for everyone who calls Norfolk and Suffolk home. Because when our region pulls in the same direction, we can achieve extraordinary things.

That’s what this mayoralty should be about: not another layer of bureaucracy, but a real force for change. A mayor who gets things done. Who listens, unites, and delivers.

I want to lead a combined authority that tackles the big challenges head-on. 

• A housing crisis that locks young people out of the places they grew up.
• A transport system that’s too expensive, too patchy, and too disconnected.
• An economy that too often relies on low pay, short-term contracts, and weak infrastructure.
• The climate emergency, which threatens our coastlines, our farmland, and our children’s future.

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We can do better. And under Labour leadership, we will.

That means building good homes people can afford, with proper planning, public land used for public good, and partnerships that deliver long-term social value. It means investing in green growth, decarbonising transport, and helping local firms and workers lead the clean energy revolution from our ports to our rural heartlands. It means connecting our towns and villages so that opportunity doesn’t depend on whether you can afford a car. And it means backing ordinary working people, and backing small businesses:  the people who hold our region together every single day.

I want to be a Mayor who is visible, connected, and approachable. Someone people actually see – not just a figurehead who gives speeches, cuts ribbons and convenes meetings. And as a proud member of the Co-operative Party, I believe in inclusive leadership: giving communities, councils, and campaigners the tools to act and make real decisions about what their community needs. I’m a campaigner at heart and over the years I’ve learned that when people feel heard and empowered, we can stop the far right in their tracks.

I want to make politics here feel different. Too often, people feel decisions are made to them, not with them. I want our region to show that regional leadership can be rooted in humanity, empathy, and real-world experience. East Anglia is a region of innovation, from science to clean energy, food production to culture, we have the solutions to some of the biggest challenges the country faces. I want to bring people together to make life fairer, greener, and better for everyone.

I love our region — its coastlines, its creativity, its stubborn independence, and its quiet determination. But sentiment won’t build homes, create jobs, or protect our future. Leadership will. Delivery will. And that’s what I’m offering. We have everything we need to become a centre of innovation and the beating heart of a new green, wellbeing economy. All we need is a leader who will build the connections and champion our communities. I’d love the chance to do just that.

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