Jen Craft is the Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Thurrock.
@ThurrockJen
www.jencraft4thurrock.com
What stage are you at in your selection journey?
I was selected as the Labour candidate for Thurrock at the end of October. We currently have a Tory MP with a 10,000 majority but with the current polling it is starting to look more marginal.
Have you always been interested in politics?
My parents were involved in the Labour Party so I grew up helping out with leafleting and now my children are getting the same experience! I did Politics and History at University and then I worked in politics. I took a bit of a step back from politics when I had my children and I also felt frustrated by the direction of the Labour party at the time. I got a bit disaffected by politics seeing the country deteriorate but then my frustration led me to thinking about what I could do to make a difference.
What inspired you to get into politics?
My mum has always been a big inspiration to me. She’s a former GMB shop steward and I always admired her courage in taking a stand when she needed to, even though it wasn’t something that came naturally to her. Later in life, I’ve been inspired by my children and thinking about the world I want them to grow up in. My eldest child is disabled and wanting better for her is a big inspiration for me. During the COVID-19 crisis it felt like the more marginalised in society were expendable and that is an attitude that continues. It led me to ask myself, If I don’t do something then who will?
Were you asked to stand? They say women have to be asked at least three times to stand.
A lot of people mooted the idea to me and danced around the subject rather than asking me directly. In the end, it was my husband who properly encouraged me. We sat down and had a serious discussion about whether it was something I wanted to pursue. Having worked in a political environment before it didn’t feel like a completely alien idea but I know for a lot of women it feels very out of reach. My feeling was I didn’t just want to do it for the sake of it but Thurrock is where I live and I grew up here and I felt it was important to have a local woman stand for selection.
What training have you done?
I haven’t actually done any formal training. I only seriously considered standing in September, I applied for funding from MotheRed and getting that really buoyed me up. What I also found really helpful was having a mentor who had been through the process herself. Another woman prospective parliamentary candidate gave me a huge amount of support and helped me to deal with my imposter syndrome. Looking around me at the quality of the women going for selection I doubted myself but she gave me a stern talking to! She helped me to understand that you need all sorts of women in parliament and that bringing my perspective as a stay at home mum and carer was invaluable.
How do you think your current career will help you with your political career?
I am currently a stay at home mum and carer for my disabled daughter. It’s very easy to overlook the role of an unpaid carer but it’s taught me a hell of a lot more than all of my other jobs. You learn a lot about patience and negotiation and being a SEND parent I constantly have to advocate for my daughter and navigate underfunded services. My previous experience as a party campaigner was useful but I genuinely think what I am doing now is the most valuable thing I’ve ever done and I want to bring that experience to parliament. Unpaid carers need a voice and a seat at the table.
Are there any political issues that you are particularly passionate about? What really motivates you?
Maternity services locally are terrible and the local MP doesn’t speak up at all. When women have negative experiences of maternity services it is often because they aren’t listened to. This is true for other women’s health issues and women’s pain is often minimised and ignored. Labour is doing stellar work on women’s health and this is something I am keen to contribute to.
I am also really passionate about SEND issues and disability rights. I am disabled myself, with long term mental health issues, and reform of the mental health system is long overdue. I feel like things have gone backwards for disabled people with funding cuts and a lack of access. I will definitely take this up and campaign on it if I’m elected.
What has your experience trying to be a candidate been like?
Having an intense but short period of time campaigning for selection worked well for me and suited how my brain works. I really enjoyed the shortlisting process. Once I had the members list I could go and have really interesting conversations with members which I found really motivating. They were conversations you don’t normally have, even talking about Marx and philosophy! On the other hand I did come up against quite a bit of misogyny, which is really disappointing. Some members really latched onto my imposter syndrome and used it against me, querying my experience and whether I had time to do the job because of my children and caring responsibilities. It was a minority but I still found it shocking. The result of the selection proved that it was only a minority that felt that way. At the end of the day, I got a lot of personal encouragement and people telling me that they were glad I was doing it as a woman and a carer. I think that makes me as normal as you will get for a politician!
Were there specific issues you faced that you think are unique to you being a woman?
There is a strain of misogyny running through politics. Labour have done a lot to address it and increase the number of women MPs. Finding childcare was an issue, particularly finding specialist SEND childcare. The MotherRed funding helped with this. I think, as a woman, you often feel you don’t fit the image that people have in their head of what a candidate should look like and I felt that I had to put a lot of effort into how I present myself and make sure I was smart and fully made up so that no one thought I looked tired or not up to the job.
Do you think being a woman would be beneficial should you be elected?
100%. I have been on a personal journey to embrace being a woman in politics. It’s important that women support each other and are visible as women rather than trying to emulate men. Women’s experiences of discrimination and safety concerns need to be heard when policy decisions are being made. If you think that parliament should be representative then we all have a part to play in making that happen and that motivates me.
What advice would you give to another woman that wants to get into politics?
Just do it! Find a mentor, someone who can really encourage you and be a bit of a hype person. It’s worth doing some work on building up your confidence before you embark on the process. You need to focus on your personal qualities and who you are and what you are offering. Have confidence that people need to hear your voice. Know your own motivations and keep hold of that. You need to get to a place where you know what you have to offer and be proud of that.