At the 2010 General Election I stood for the Labour Party in Sheffield Hallam constituency against Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

2010 was a very difficult election for the Labour Party across Britain and Sheffield Hallam was at the centre of what became known as Cleggmania – where, for a time at least, it looked as if Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats would do well.

In that context, Labour’s result in Sheffield Hallam was very strong. We secured an extra 3110 votes compared to 2005, whereas the Tories only gained 12 extra votes. Labour’s share of the vote went from 12.6% to 16.1% - the highest since 1992.

I was selected by the Labour Party in the summer of 2007. I blogged throughout my time as a candidate – which you can view here.

Sheffield Hallam sits in the south west of Sheffield and is one of the most affluent seats in Britain, with high home ownership, comparably low unemployment. On the whole, the local health service and schools are excellent (which I blogged about here)

Looking back, there’s a few stories and blog posts that particularly stand out from my time standing for Parliament:  

The day my Tory opponent got sacked

When Nick Clegg admitted he would back the Tories – back in November 2009!

The day Gordon Brown called the election

The Gillian Duffy saga

And of course, reflections on the result

Since the election, Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats have betrayed the people who voted for them. They do not deserve to hold public office.

Part of my role now is to hold Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats to account for the promises they made during the election and the untruths that have since been told.

If you would like to know more, please get in touch