When I joined the Labour Party in 2012, it was the result of a perfect storm. I was 21 at the time and my mother was collating our family tree when she told me about the rich history my family had in the Labour movement. My grandfather on my father’s side had been a devout Labour member and had helped councillors get elected in Salford during the 1950s. Further back, one of my ancestors was one of the founding members of the TUC. Upon learning this about my family, the lure of continuing the long Wood family tradition of taking part in the working class movement was too strong to ignore.
Previously I had been a member of the Liberal Democrats, however I left the party when coalition with a Conservative Party hell-bent on austerity and an abandonment of principles over tuition fees left me despondent. Shortly after I discovered the work of Tony Benn, the man who would become and remain my political hero.
Since then, the Labour Party has moved further to the left to a place that I would consider its traditional home. While remaining socially progressive, economic policies focused on giving ordinary working people more control over their lives took centre stage. In the wake of Jeremy Corbyn’s election and the subsequent 2017 snap general election, Labour looked set to finally take away the powers that have laid in the hands of…
