Meet Mandu - leader of the Women’s Equality Party

Candidate for Mayor of London.

In the UK, there has never been a female metro mayor.

None of the mainstream parties have even selected a woman for the position of London Mayoralty. Your vote can change this. 

Social justice and inclusion are close to my heart as a result of my upbringing in Swaziland in the shadow of apartheid South Africa. I attended the first ever school in Southern Africa where black children and white children could study together.

I also attended a school in Devon as the only black pupil in my year group. London was the first place that ever truly felt like home with all its diversity and rich culture. 

Having gained experience working with all three London mayors at City Hall, I believe it is time to raise the bar. London is ready to become the first gender-equal city in the world.

As Mayor, we won't have to imagine because I will strive to make it happen.

A vote for me is a vote for equality.

Equality Can Win

To visit Mandu Reid's fundraising page:

Donate here!

Twitter: @ManduReid

London has been my home for 20 years. I grew up in Manchester with Commonwealth immigrant parents who worked in the NHS. My background taught me values of peace, love, family and respect for Mother Earth, and prioritised education, which took me to Oxford University to study Law.

My whole life changed in 1999, during my professional training, when I became a young, single, working mother.  No political party had policies to care for families like mine.  I felt excluded and alienated from society and politics.
By 2015, I was lone parent of three children, supporting them as a human rights barrister, and active in voluntary work for equality in the legal profession, and my nursery and school communities. 

Since I joined the Women’s Equality Party in 2015, I’ve stood for the Greater London Assembly in 2016, Parliament in 2017, Hackney Mayor and two local council seats in 2018. I was supported by childcare expenses and wonderful campaign teams.  Our members also elected me to Policy Committee in 2016 as a National Spokesperson. 

These opportunities sparked a burning drive to become the Women’s Equality Party’s first Greater London Assembly Member and make our policy dreams into everyday reality.

To visit Harini Iyengar's fundraising page click here.

Twitter: @harini_iyengar

Instagram: @Wepharini

Facebook: WEPHarini

A lived experience leader, a mother, a community worker and a disabled woman of colour, I am passionate about social justice, ethical leadership and equality.  A public policy academic, teaching international public service leaders and post-graduate students, I have been active in civil society for over three decades, and have invaluable work and governance experience, in the public and voluntary sectors.

I am strongly committed to the development of the next generation of young women and am vice-chair of a girls, secondary school in the East End; and as an accredited executive coach, I mentor and coach young women researchers, grant-makers and social entrepreneurs.

I currently also chair two not-for-profit organisations; a global educational charity, and another I founded to promote diversity and inclusion, through lived experience leadership and disability justice.As an active Haringey WEP member, I would be honoured to represent women living and working in London, including women from under-represented groups, for the WEP in the GLA member role. I consider I am an excellent fit, given my wide-ranging professional experience, lived expertise, technical knowledge, skills and competencies, and contacts in different sectors, critical for developing relationships across boundaries and building coalitions.

To visit Dr Sarabajaya Kumar's fundraising page click here.  

Twitter: @sarabajaya

Instagram: @sarabajaya

Facebook: Sarabajaya2020

Until we end the scourge of violence against women and girls (VAWG) none of us will be free.

I could never imagine that the girl who grew up on a council estate, with no formal education could run for public office. But I did. When I ran for Liverpool City Region (LCR) Mayor for the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) in 2017, the LCR did not have a strategy to end VAWG. Fast forward to 2019 and because of my campaign, using the WEP approach of urging other parties to steal our policies, the LCR now DOES have this strategy. The elected Mayor asked me to write the strategy and I delivered a real win for our Party. I now live in London with my lesbian partner and can see first-hand we need this approach. So many lives are marred by violence, whether it’s gender-based or knife crime, and nobody should have to live with it.

Now is WEP’s time to win a seat—we’re going to shake up London’s political establishment and I want to be part of the team that does that. Vote for me—I have the skills, capability and desire to help to transform London, change the lives of Londoners and represent YOU. 

To visit Tabitha Morton's fundraising page click here.

Twitter: @TabithaMortonWE 

Facebook: @tabithamortonWE

Instagram: tabitha.morton

I joined WEP in 2016, a political novice - I was excited to finally see a party putting women front and centre to tackle the structural inequalities I had always seen around me.

Fast forward 18 months and I was inspired to stand in the local council elections. It was my first experience of standing for public office and WEP’s first ever candidate in Islington. Incredibly, WEP came a resounding second place to Labour with votes from over 21% of voters. I believe this is because we focused firmly on canvassing and voters saw that we offered a real alternative to the political status quo.

I am now proud to be co-leading the Islington branch. We are aiming to grow our diverse membership and are already planning a local election strategy for 2022.

Outside of WEP, I practised as a city lawyer for over 14 years and have also sat on the governing body of an Islington school for the last four years.

I am hugely optimistic about WEP’s chances of success in the GLA election. As a lifelong Londoner, it would be a privilege to represent the party as a London list candidate.

To visit Nikki Uppal's fundraising page click here. 

Twitter: @NikkiBUppal

Representing the Women’s Equality Party has been one of my most rewarding and life-affirming experiences. It’s fun, hard work, a huge honour.

I’ve done it three times: as 2016 GLA list candidate, as WEP’s first-ever local council candidate getting 7% of the vote, and in 2018 in Ladywell 26.1% of voters. I’ve been a WEP member since the beginning and I’m one of our most active activists, in my branch, Lewisham, and as Spokesperson for Equal Health and member of the Policy Committee.

My professional background is theatre: writing, directing, producing and my work has been cited by Arts Council England as model of good practice for inclusion and diversity. I’ve worked in major theatres and made socially-engaged touring productions with grass roots communities. I’m comfortable engaging with stakeholders ranging from politicians, to business to local interest and disenfranchised groups, convening discussions, making policy, negotiating.

I’ve lived in London for 20 years and worked in half its boroughs. Locally I’m a school governor as safeguarding lead and I see the inequalities that women encounter. I want to be part of making London the first gender-equal city and will work with our GLA list to make that happen for 2020.

To visit Rebecca Manson Jones's fundraising page click here.

Twitter: @justRMJ

Instagram: @justRMJ 

Facebook: @RebeccaLadywell 

LinkedIn: Rebecca Manson Jones

Blog: https://justrmj.com

I am a former dual-qualified lawyer with over 25 years of practical legal experience. I have worked extensively in the area of child social care and child protection. I have advised on domestic violence and other related social issues. 

I believe equal access to representation has a direct impact on women's ability to protect and care for their children.  Despite a recent change of career, I have remained passionate about providing strong advocacy for women on women’s issues.

I am a wife, mother of two and a caregiver.  My mother, one of the strongest women I know, has taught me the value of independent thought, drive, and tenacity.

I joined WEP in order to raise awareness of the inequalities that still exist in the UK.  I want to effect meaningful change through policies that impact women's daily lives.  As a WEP 2020 candidate I would actively promote and spread the WEP message of achieving equality for women. 

To visit Christine Dean's fundraising page click here.

Instagram: WEPChristine

Twitter: @legaleagle24

I’m a volunteer for Greenwich Branch of the Women’s Equality Party and Chair of the party’s BAME Caucus, which I helped to set up at last Party conference. I’m a proud intersectional feminist and I am passionate about race and class equality.

I own more books than I can read and I still keep buying more. I’m always learning and as part of that I’m always asking questions and seeking to understand others' opinions. I’m not afraid to discuss some of the difficult topics we face as a political party founded on a feminist ideology.

I believe in representation, not tokenism and want to champion the voices of all women. I want to see a feminism where no women are left behind, and an equality that benefits everyone.       

To visit Sellisha Lockyer's fundraising page click here.

Twitter: @sellishalockyer

LinkedIn: Sellisha Lockyer

I am Co-Leader of the Islington branch and the Equal Education Movement Builder on the Policy Committee. 

Like many Londoners, I wasn’t born in this country. I grew up in Lebanon before moving to France. I came to London over 10 years ago and have been involved in my community ever since.

In this time, I have campaigned against education cuts, against period poverty and for better streets.

Joining the Women’s Equality Party was the logical next step in my activism as I realised that for other the other parties, women’s issues were never central.

I believe that London needs a strong feminist voice and WE need a seat at the table to advocate for ALL women.

To visit Guilene Marco's fundraising page click here. 

Twitter: @GuileneMarco 

Instagram: @guilenemarco

I am a lifelong Londoner whose childhood was revolutionised by the Travelcard and free admission to museums – exploring London is still one of my favourite things to do.

I am a passionate, dedicated campaigner for equal representation: our elected representatives must better reflect the lived experience of the people they represent. This is, in part, what brought me to WEP and Make Votes Matter, a journey which has seen me stand for local council and get elected as Equal Representation Movement Builder last conference.

As a computer programmer, I have witnessed the impact structural barriers and gendered social expectations have on recruiting and retaining women in male-dominated fields. As a member of the LGBT+ community, I’ve felt the damage of politics which ignores and shames difference. These experiences brought me to WEP in 2016.

Within WEP I found a community who wanted something more than the broken old politics we have, just like me. I have become a candidate and a campaigner with and inspired by you. Campaigning for our brilliant candidates for London in 2016 was my first act of volunteering for the party, I’d love to carry on this journey as a candidate in 2020.

To visit Pamela Ritchie's fundraising page click here.

Facebook: WEPamela18

Twitter: @WEPamela18

Instagram: @WEPamela18