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

A commercial lawyer with 8 years’ experience and a single mum to an energetic toddler, Korina has worked hard to balance the demands of her professional career with her activism and work to support the most vulnerable in society. She volunteered in Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, helped to establish the first pro bono legal advice clinic in Dubai and acted on behalf of immigrants who experienced racial discrimination. Korina provided free legal advice at clinics in London, including advice on housing, family law issues and domestic violence. She has worked with Lawyers Without Borders to provide advice on human trafficking issues and anti-terrorism. She worked alongside the Human Dignity Trust to campaign against the violent mistreatment of Kenyan citizens due to the criminalisation of homosexuality caused by out of date colonial laws. Korina volunteers at the Windrush Legal Surgeries in Brixton helping victims of the scandal gain access to the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

As the daughter of two hard-working NHS nurses, Korina is committed to promoting equality and ensuring that opportunities are open to all. She has acted as a mentor to widen access to City jobs for working class students and worked with the Urban Lawyers Network to encourage more diversity within the legal profession. 

The GLA is dominated by members of the main establishment political parties. Korina would be a fresh voice – a proud single mum living in Brixton, the daughter of a Barbadian father who came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation, and a highly trained commercial lawyer with the skills and ability to speak up for her constituents.

If elected, Korina will scrutinise the Mayor to ensure he or she is running London with women and children in mind.

To visit Korina Holmes's fundraising page click here.

Instagram: @korina_holmes

Twitter: @korinaholmes

Facebook: /wepkorinaholmes

The main reason I am standing as a GLA List Candidate is because there appears to me that there is no other way of effecting lasting change for everyone in London. Take a glance back and take note of what life for Londoners has been. What is clear is that equality for women has not been achieved affecting the quality of life of the individual Londoner. A new way is necessary as the old traditional ways are not effective. The new way is putting Equality at the centre of everything.

Whom am I: I am a single mother of 3 children, a human rights lawyer with over 30 years experience of holding the State to account when it has interfered with the lives of individual Londoners and people across England and Wales.

I am a Facilitator of Workshops that centre on providing Emotional Intelligence and resilience  tools that are useful in an individuals’ journey to gaining mastery with their emotions. These are essential skills which when used lead to decisions that are not only good for the individual but impact possibility for the greater, the community, society and nation. 

I am a singer and interpreter of song, gifted with an “angelic” voice, at least so I am told. This combination of skills and experience place me in the right place and the right time, which is now to help bring equality to the centre of all decisions that are made for Londoners.

What are the reasons you should vote for me through voting for WEP? A vote for me is a Vote for acceptance that Equality reigns supreme. I am a person of integrity. I am seasoned at standing up to assist in bringing about new ways of approaching old issues and in doing things that are less impactful on the human rights of the individual. I have “bags” of emotional intelligence, meaning every decision is made and taken with the greater good in mind. The personal ego is contained and used only as a library where things are stored that provide “lubrication” to move things along, but not for personal gain.

I am a gentle Agent for Equality preferring that change is achieved through the winning of hearts and minds. Bringing people with you with the vision of equality. All in all I am a candidate that will keep to the “Brief” and bring equality to the centre of all decisions that are made for Londoners both individually and collectively.

I am humbled by the chance to serve you, allow me to do so by voting.

Use your third (orange ballet) vote to allow Equality a chance to gain seats on the London Assembly, it will be the best vote you will ever make.

To visit Maureen Ngozi Obi-Ezekpazu's fundraising page click here.

Twitter: @MaureenWep

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 getting 26.1% of the vote. I’ve been a WEP member since the beginning, and I’m one of our most active activists in my branch, Lewisham, and also as Spokesperson for Equal Health and as a member of the Policy Committee.

My professional background is writing, directing and producing theatre; my work has been cited by Arts Council England as a 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, in convening discussions, making policy and negotiating. Despite contracting Covid and living with it still, I spent 2020 advocating and making work for freelances and supporting people living with dementias and learning disabled people. "We never closed."

I’ve lived in London for over 20 years and worked in half its boroughs. I've been a school governor as safeguarding link and daily I see the intersectional 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 progress towards that for 2021

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