Polly Billington | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forEast Thanet | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Craig Mackinlay (South Thanet[a]) |
| Majority | 6,971 (16.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 1967 (age 57–58) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Sussex (BA) |
Polly Billington (born 1967) is a BritishLabour Party politician serving asMember of Parliament forEast Thanet since 2024.
Prior to her election she was an environmental campaigner and had worked as a broadcast journalist for theBBC before becoming a special advisor toEd Miliband. She was the media director for his successful bid in the2010 Labour leadership election.[3] In 2016 she founded theclimate politics network UK100.[4]
Billington was educated at theUrsuline High School, Wimbledon, an all-girlsCatholic school. She studied history and French atSussex University, graduating with aBachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1990.[5] She then undertook apostgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism at the department ofJournalism, Media and Communication, University of Central Lancashire in 1993.[6]
Billington was a BBC reporter for theToday programme, News 24, thePolitics Show,Newsbeat, and on Radio 1 as the first dedicated Political Reporter for Newsbeat.[7]
Billington was the Head of Communications and Campaigns at Citizens Advice from January 2013 to January 2015, coordinating campaigns on energy, welfare and payday loans, before resigning to fight the highly marginal three-way contest of Thurrock at the general election.[8]
Billington founded UK100 in 2016,[4] a network for UK locally elected leaders who have pledged to switch to 100% clean energy by 2050.[9] She served as the CEO until February 2023 when she was selected as a parliamentary candidate.[10]
Billington received the Business Green Leader of the Year Award in 2023, for her "inspirational role in establishing UK100 as one of the most respected and important voices on climate policy in the UK".[11]
Politico Europe reported in May 2023 that Billington had accepted a Senior Adviser role at Hanover Communications - in their election planning team.[12]
Billington became a special adviser toEd Miliband in 2007 when he was working on party policy and election strategy in the Cabinet Office[13] and according toThe Daily Telegraph she was the 59th most influential person on the UK left in 2011.[14]
She was the media director forEd Miliband's successful Labour leadership bid.[15]
In December 2011, Billington was selected forThurrock,[16] a marginal seat. She was one of 15 Labour candidates each given financial support of £10,000 byLord Matthew Oakeshott in January 2015.[17] The tight three-way contest resulted in a Tory hold by 536 votes over Billington with UKIP coming third.[18]
Billington worked on Sadiq Khan's campaign to be selected as Labour's mayoral candidate for London, leading on communications.[19] She was one of two Labour Party councillors elected toDe Beauvoir ward in the2018 Hackney London Borough Council election, with 1,448 votes.[20] She was reelected in2022, with 1,400 votes.[21]
Billington has served as an Executive Member ofSERA, Labour's Environment Campaign[22] and is on the advisory group of Labour Climate and Environment Forum.[23]
On 24 February 2023 she was selected by local Labour party members as the parliamentary candidate forEast Thanet at the2024 general election.[24] She was elected in the general election on 4 July 2024.[25]
She is LGBT+ and received support from theChris Smith List.[26]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forEast Thanet 2024–present | Incumbent |
