What drove me into politics is making sure that regardless of a person’s background, they get an excellent education, a great job, a chance to buy an affordable home, a safe neighbourhood to live in, and green spaces to enjoy.

Full statement

In one word: opportunity.

This is because access to opportunity changed my life. I was born on a council estate to a 14-year-old girl before going into foster care and being adopted by my family. My mum and dad worked exceptionally hard to give me the best upbringing they could. Their support helped me become one of the first in my family to get A Levels, and the very first to go to university.

The problem is, far too many people don't get that second chance. So I’m standing for Parliament to help people in our area - which I’m passionate about as a local councillor - and address the root causes of problems, help fix the system, and keep knocking down barriers to opportunity.

It’s why I’ve also dedicated my career to education, adult learning, and apprenticeships. I’m currently an executive director at the charity UCAS - the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service - which helps over a million people each year get the support they need to make life-changing decisions. I therefore see the transformative power of education every day, including in our area, where the number of schools rated by Ofsted as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ has risen from 69% in 2010 to 93% today. We must get this to 100%.

My proudest achievement at UCAS has been driving forward our expansion into apprenticeships for the first time. Academic study works for many, but not all. It's been great to see job boosting and life changing apprenticeships expand significantly in our area, with nearly 5,000 new apprenticeships started in Esher and Walton alone since 2010.

As well as a passion for education, I want to see business flourish in our area.

This includes smaller, local, independent companies, like my dad’s. He sold machinery and parts to factories, and I saw the extra mile he went to keep his shop going: bending over backwards for customers, supporting his staff, and working weekends to keep the ship afloat. Businesses like these are often the backbone of our high street and our economy, as well as making up the supply chains of larger firms. We must back local businesses and entrepreneurs - and critically, cut the taxes they pay so they can hire more local people and invest in the company.

Despite the best intentions, I think government and regulation can get in the way of business too often. I believe passionately we need to make it easier for companies to grow, to employ and train people, and to innovate. Not just to provide people with a good salary, but also to fund public services like the NHS: a growing economy means more tax income for the Government to provide a safety net for those who need it most.