Liberal Democrat candidate for Islington South and Finsbury

Age: 42

Address: Highbury

Marital status: I was civil partnered seven years ago, I’m converting this to marriage just before the election.

Children: Became a dad at 17, and have one kid, a 25-year-old boy. I became a granddad a while back which has made me feel old.

Interests outside politics: I chair an LGBT youth homeless charity and a garden project, keen gardener, jazz fan, and am a foodie.

Current job: Senior adviser to the Local Government Association.

Any directorships/ other financial interests: No property, no paid directorships.

What jobs/ interests will you continue with if elected: None

What is your local connection to the area: I moved to Highbury when I met my partner Paul, and have lived in the borough for over 15 years, 12 as an Islington councillor.

If I am elected, the first thing I will do is: We need to safeguard affordable housing. Homes in London were once genuinely affordable. Now a young person in Islington is confronted with astronomical house prices. We need to build more council homes and tackle poor private landlords. On the council one of my proudest achievements was to oversee the first council housing to be built in Islington for 25 years.

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How would/did you vote on the following issues:

Assisted suicide? My own conversations with terminally ill patients had swung his opinion in favour of legalisation that included sufficient safeguards. What an invidious situation to leave people in, Can we really be comfortable with a situation where people, acting out of compassion for a loved one who is dying, are left uncertain as to whether they will face prosecution? There need to be proper safeguards – that’s critically important, You have absolutely got to guard against relatives or others seeking to get control of the estate. We have to be certain that it is an individual decision. I think you can meet those safeguards.

Gay Marriage? Yes, I am converting my civil partnership into equal marriage as we speak, and hope to “tie the knot” shortly

UK Military action against Syrian President Bashair al-Assad’s government? All Parliament did when it voted no to military action against Syrian was diminish Britain and embolden those using chemical weapons against civilians. Five years on the 100,000s who now reside in refugee camps in Syrian and the ongoing fighting are proof of this. I would have voted yes

Smoking in Cars? For decades, society has accepted the compelling scientific evidence that cigarette smoke does serious, lasting harm to those who inhale it. Passive smoking causes 165,000 new episodes of disease among children each year, including asthma, respiratory and ear infections, bronchitis, and reduced lung function. So yes I would vote for banning it.