I wasn’t always political.

Growing up in a rural town in the North East of England, I could see things getting worse around me – shops closing, more families struggling, and more businesses failing. But I never saw these issues as political – I thought all politicians were the same, and nobody cared.

But looking back, I realised that so many of the issues my community faced were caused by political choices. The funding cuts that caused my school’s sixth form to close, leaving students with 3-hour round trips to the next nearest one due to inadequate public transport, were inflicted by the Conservatives’ choices. The same was true of the crippling business rates that destroyed local high streets and continue to do so.

But I could see Labour was different. Things didn’t have to be in decline like they were, and I wanted to be part of delivering that alternative. So I joined the Labour Party and a few years later I stood to be a councillor.

I wasn’t a typical council candidate – only around 1% of councillors are under 25, and I found many residents to be uneasy about electing someone my age. But the only way to fix that was to roll up my sleeves and get out there talking to people, convincing them of my skills and abilities. I was successful, and a year later I joined the council’s executive team with personal responsibility for overseeing a large fraction of our operational service delivery, covering a team of around 250 staff.

Over my time as a councillor, I’ve become more and more familiar with the immense scale of the financial pressures facing so many of our public services. Local authorities have been cut to the bone by Conservative governments, with waves of councils across the country (and under a variety of political parties) beginning to go bankrupt. GP surgeries nationwide are dealing with more patients per doctor than ever before – far above recommended safe levels – and more and more people are failing to receive the entry-level medical care they need, meaning more serious illnesses develop and put yet more strain on the system. It’s a vicious cycle ripping apart lives.

The need to give our country its future back is why I’m now an MP. North West Cambridgeshire deserves an experienced representative that knows how to run a winning campaign and get things done – and I will deliver that.