Friends enjoy election success

Two Friends were elected to parliament last week

Two Friends were elected to parliament last week. They are the first serving Quaker MPs in a decade.

Catherine West (above left) of Muswell Hill Meeting took the seat of Hornsey and Wood Green. Ruth Cadbury (above right) was elected in Brentford and Isleworth. She belongs to the Local Meeting there. Both Friends represent the Labour Party.

Ruth Cadbury told the Friend: ‘As somebody who was born and raised a Quaker, social justice and equality are hard-wired into me. This informs my politics and my campaigns.’

She added that she is determined to work on behalf of everyone in her constituency, especially those who have suffered over the last five years and look set to continue suffering.

Ruth’s priorities as an MP will be the cost of living, the NHS, social care, public services, staying in Europe, and the potential impact on her constituency of a new runway at Heathrow Airport.

Catherine West told the Friend that she went into politics because she wants ‘to create a fairer, more equal, peaceful society’.

‘My priorities as an MP are to fight for a living wage, secure the genuinely affordable housing we so desperately need and protect our vital public services. I’m deeply concerned at how the last five years have affected some of the most vulnerable people in our community,’ she said.

‘My beliefs in social justice and the importance of tackling poverty, homelessness and creating a fairer society have sustained me throughout my political career and throughout my campaign. They will continue to do so during my time in office. One immediate struggle will be to defend the vital Human Rights Act against the Tories’ plans to abolish it.’

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