Luisa Porritt

Luisa Manon Porritt (born 23 May 1987) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for London from 2019 to 2020.[1][2] She was selected as the party's candidate for the 2021 London mayoral election in October 2020.[3]

Cllr

Luisa Porritt
Member of the European Parliament
for London
In office
2 July 2019 – 31 January 2020
Preceded byMary Honeyball
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born (1987-05-23) 23 May 1987
Royal Free Hospital, London
Political partyLiberal Democrats
ResidenceCamden
Alma materRoyal Holloway, University of London
Sciences Po Paris
Websitewww.luisa4london.co.uk

Early life and education

Luisa Manon Porritt was born at the Royal Free Hospital on 23 May 1987.[4] She grew up in Camden.[5] She earned a degree in history from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2008 and went on to complete a Master's degree in Paris.[6][7]

Career

Before her political career, Porritt worked as a journalist. In 2019, she was working as a communications director.[8]

Political career

Porritt joined the Liberal Democrats a few days after the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016.[9] She became a Liberal Democrat councillor for the London Borough of Camden in 2018.[10] She gained a seat for the council ward of Belsize from the Conservative incumbent by nine votes, following a recount.[11] She became leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Camden council on 7 September 2020.[12]

In the 2019 European Parliament election, she was third on the Liberal Democrat list for the London constituency.[10] The Liberal Democrats won 27% of the vote, winning three seats, so Porritt was elected as a Member of the European Parliament.[13] She was appointed deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the European Parliament.[14] During her time as an MEP, Porritt brought resolutions calling on Iran to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.[15]

Porritt was reported to be “seriously considering” putting her name forward to be the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2021 London mayoral election after Siobhan Benita withdrew from the race following its postponement from the original May 2020 date.[16] She won the selection against the option to reopen nominations on 13 October 2020 after the other shortlisted candidate, Geeta Sidhu-Robb, was suspended from the Liberal Democrats following accusations of antisemitism.[17] Porritt has called for empty offices to be turned into affordable housing,[18] and reform of stop and search.[19] She has been critical of the Government's handling of coronavirus, calling for a circuit breaker lockdown when London was put into Tier 2 restrictions in October 2020,[20] and Sadiq Khan's negotiations on the future of Transport For London.[21]

Personal life

Porritt's half Spanish, half Turkish great grandmother was Jewish Orthodox. She married a half Egyptian, half Austro-Hungarian man and they lived in a French-speaking household. They moved from Egypt as it became "oppressive under Nasser", relocating to Kenya with Porritt's grandmother. Porritt's mother was born in Bermuda and grew up in Turkey after a naval posting took Porritt's maternal grandfather there.[22]

References
  1. "The UK's European elections 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  2. "Live updates as Brexit Party takes first two seats". Evening Standard. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  3. ""I'll bring big ideas and urgent action" - Luisa Porritt". London Liberal Democrats. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. Taylor, Harry. "EU elections: Belsize councillor Luisa Porritt bids to become an MEP on birthday". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  5. "A 'safer, fairer and greener' London - Belsize's Luisa in line for mayoral race". 21 September 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  6. "Alumni Generations". Higher – The Magazine for the alumni of Royal Holloway and Bedford [colleges]. 2011. pp. 24–25. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  7. "Lib Dem mayoral candidate vows to speak for 'millennial Londoners'". Evening Standard. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  8. "Lib Dems launch EU election campaign with 'Stop Brexit' message". the Guardian. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  9. "Q&A: My Belsize Park, by Cllr Luisa Porritt". Archant (Hampstead & Highgate Express), Norwich. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  10. "EU elections: Camden councillor Luisa Porritt elected MEP for London as Lib Dems take 27% of votes in capital". Archant (Hampstead & Highgate Express), Norwich. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  11. "Belsize: Lib Dems take seats from the Tories after dramatic recount". Camden New Journal. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  12. Taylor, Harry. "Longstanding Camden Lib Dem leader Flick Rea 'passes on the baton', with Luisa Porritt taking over borough's third party". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  13. Taylor, Harry. "EU elections: Camden councillor Luisa Porritt elected MEP for London as Lib Dems take 27% of votes in capital". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  14. Taylor, Harry. "Camden MEP Luisa Porritt elected as Liberal Democrat's European Parliament deputy leader". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  15. "Camden MEP brings EU resolution calling on Iran to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and slamming its protester crackdown". 20 December 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  16. Taylor, Harry. "Belsize councillor Luisa Porritt 'seriously considering' Lib Dem mayoral candidate bid". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  17. Patrick Maguire (14 September 2020). "Lib Dem Geeta Sidhu Robb dropped over antisemitism". The Times, London. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  18. "New Lib Dem mayoral candidate calls for City of London offices to be converted into homes". 13 October 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  19. "'I would reform stop and search as the city's mayor'". 23 October 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  20. "Luisa Porritt: New lockdown restrictions due to Government incompetence". 15 October 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  21. "'TfL bailout deal done to keep London's Tube and buses running'". 2 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  22. Stephen Oryszczuk (2 November 2020). "Lib Dem mayoral hopeful: After discovering my roots, antisemitism felt personal". Jewish News. Independent Jewish Community News Foundation. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
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