At the end of November I attended an event for young Labour members who were not successful in Labour Party’s Future Candidates’ Programme. A number of young people aged 18-27 attended the event in London, that helped to explain the procedures, events and rules into becoming a Labour Party candidate for the roles of MEP, MP and Councillor.
A successful candidate needs to spend a lot of time campaigning and have a reasonable amount of resources to help support their campaigning and living expenses. Therefore, for anyone thinking to become a candidate they need to have plenty of experience behind them, including: campaigning and involvement with the Labour Party, voluntary work or involvement with community, an event which has required leadership skills and knowledge of the party and current politics (NB: a university degree is not required).
Also, guest speakers came to the event to speak about their experience as a candidate which included the MP for Lewisham, Heidi Alexander, who also spoke about their experience in tackling the London Riots that took place in her constituency.
Overall, the event was very informative and interesting. I got to meet new, interesting people from different backgrounds across the UK who all share the same passion in becoming a Labour Party candidate and fighting for a better future for all. I would recommend anyone to apply next year for the programme, because even if you do not get a place on the programme there is still an opportunity to progress and learn into becoming a candidate, along with meet new, exciting people who also share the same passion.
– Gemma Cobby
