CEC Candidate Profiles.

Below is a breakdown of answers, submitted by Your Party CEC candidates, to the Spotlight Your Party CEC Candidate’s questionnaire. This page is live and will be updated as we begin to receive further submissions from other CEC candidates.

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YOUR MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS

1. Please list any past and present memberships of political parties, trade unions and other political organisations, please detail any previous political offices you have held, explain the work you undertook there and what experience you feel you’ve gained as a result.

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

I haven’t really had too much of a role and have been more of an activist but have been a paying member of the following: Labour Party 2016-2019, transform 2021, Green Party 2024-March 2025

IAN DRIVER: Candidate for South East England (Answer submitted: 26-01-2026)

Party and before that a member of the Labour Party. I am a paying supporter of Republic, Liberty, Unlock Democracy and the Electoral Reform Society. I am also a member of the National Union of Journalists. I have held a number of political offices. Currently an Elected member of Liberty Policy Council and an Elected member of Unlock Democracy Council. Previously I was a Local Government councillor (1990-8, Labour), (2011-15, Green), then a Parliamentary Candidate for the Green Party in 2015, an Elected member of my trade union (NUPE now Unison) National Executive Committee, as well as Trade Union branch secretary (1983-90).

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YOUR POLITICAL ACTIVISM

1. Please breakdown any previous political actions and campaigns you have been involved with – either through helping to organise, taking part in, or instigating – and explain what role you played in each.

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

Participated in: Nationwide protest against student fee loan rises in 2010, nationwide protest against Brexit in 2017, vigil for Sarah Everard. Spoken at and led Barnstaple unite March, organised by stand up to racism, spoken at Exeter unite against the far right organised by stand up to racism. Attended Palestine candlelight vigil just before Christmas. Have an organising role in local North Devon & Torridge protobranch as chair, currently building campaigns against proposed library cuts and south west water. Founded intersectional your party initiative called ‘safety isn’t optional’ – aimed at policy direction & discussion around gender based violence

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YOUR HOPES FOR YOUR PARTY

1. What does Your Party mean to you, what do you want to see Your Party members doing more, and how would you support that work from within the CEC?
2. What processes and safeguards would you want to see implemented to curb factionalism in the party and ensure that members remain sovereign when it comes to important decisions.

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. Your Party is a place where everyone can come together and start to campaign and fight for what is right. I’d love to remove barriers that would see more members participating, holding educational seminars etc.

2. I think factionalism is okay, but it tends to become dangerous when it drowns out ordinary member’s voices. I would ensure branch visits prior to CEC meetings to collect members’ voices so that we can improve processes to their standards. The CEC should be answerable to its members, not the groups the CEC belongs to.

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LETS TALK POLICIES

On Disability

1. A disabled person’s care needs don’t end when a parent or carer reaches retirement age but the carer’s allowance does. What do you think the CEC and Your Party could do to address this injustice?
2. Are you committed to the social model of disability?
3. How do we ensure the rights of disabled people are taken seriously?
4. How will you ensure accessibility and inclusivity for disabled people in Your Party?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. I’ve always been firmly for Universal basic income, but as an immediate improvement to parents of disabled children or unpaid carers however, carer’s allowance should be a full time wage.

2. Yes, I’m committed to the social model of disability.

3. We listen to them, and include them in decision making processes that directly affect them.

4. I have AuDHD so I’m well aware of the shortcomings the party has had in regards to accessibility. I would ensure accessibility and inclusivity by not only creating guidelines for branches to follow with disabled people leading the initiative, but also by arguing for ring fenced funding so that accessibility doesn’t depend on local access to funds. 

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On Benefits

1. What is your vision for sickness, disability, carer, child and unemployment benefits?
2. Do you support a Universal basic income / Universal basic services?
3. Currently, Amnesty International calls the social security system in the UK ‘Consciously cruel’. What do you think needs to be done to tackle this?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. As mentioned before, it should be universal basic income. All benefits are not sufficient to live on and seeks to punish those not in work as opposed to empower them and enable them to pursue things in their own time that might fulfill them on their own terms.

2. Yes!

3. Attitudes on social security need to change — instead of viewing people by their capacity to make money, we should view people who rely on social security as exactly that … people. Any changes or policy on people who rely on social security should be done in consultation with them.

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On Jobs

1. How do we generate more well paid jobs in this country?
2. Do you believe the wealth gap between employers and employees needs to be addressed and, if so, where would you cap it?
3. Do you think the real living wage should continue to be voluntary or obligatory?
4. Do you think we should introduce a ‘back-to-work’ scheme in this country where people are given an annual allowance, instead of fortnightly benefits (for a period of time), so that they can become self-employed instead?
5. Do you think think the Employment Rights Act is adequate and, if not, why not, and how would you want to improve it?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. End low pay by design – minimum wage is not enough to live off, support worker owned businesses and invest directly in ‘good jobs.’ I believe that UBI will also allow people to participate in the arts too, creating flourishing entertainment sectors.

2. Yes. I would support pay ratio limits, so the highest paid individual cannot earn more than 10-20 times than their lowest paid individual.

3. Obligatory.

4. Yes! Some people work better for themselves.

5. No. I don’t think it goes far enough to protect workers. We need rights from day one. More protections for disabled people in work and end exploitative practices like zero hours contracts, personal improvement plans etc.

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On Housing

1. How do you think we can improve housing in deprived areas, so as to tackle the urgent issues of rising rents, unaffordable housing, shortage of social housing and, in some areas, Airbnb or developers taking over all free properties that could become homes for people? This issue is badly affecting young people who can’t afford the rent on their low wages and also older people 50+ who also can’t find enough work
2. When we win an election, and if it’s within your remit to do so, what measures would you implement to address the homelessness crisis.

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. As someone from Devon I know the issue with housing intimately. I’m for ending right to buy to keep local stock of housing, mandatory affordable housing, I also support abolishing landlordism but in the meantime, rent control, higher council tax for second homes and seizure of homes that have been empty for more than 3 months is a good start.

2. I would provide stable housing without expecting people to address issues that led them to homelessness. Housing is a right not a privilege. I would invest in social housing, using public land and funding to build affordable, secure homes. I would also push for stronger protections for renters, ending exploitive practices that landlords engage in.

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On Inequality

1. Where do you stand on Trans rights and do you believe a woman’s place on the CEC should also be open to Trans women?
2. What is your stance on a youth/student wing, Disabilities group, BAME group, Women’s group or a LGBTQIA+ group within the party?
3. If it were within your remit, what measures would you want to see put in place to combat Transphobia, gender stereotypes, racism, religious intolerance and the general ‘fear of the other’ within our communities, for example in education, in health, in the work place and in negative media portrayals.
4. How do you think we can tackle the centuries-old culture of blaming poor people, and address the real causes of poverty?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. Trans women are women, their liberation is vital. Yes I do.

2. These are all essential groups that are needed, so long as the women’s group is intersectional.

3. Prejudice grows when people are misrepresented or are pitted against one another. I would push for measures that educate, protect, and empower rather than punish or divide. In education, it is important to teach age appropriate lessons on the diversity of society. Schools should normalise our differences, not fear them. In healthcare, training is vital to ensure staff remain respectful and provide informed care to everyone. In the workplace I woud support stronger protections against discrimination, fair pay and clear routes to challenge harassment safely. On media, I would challenge harmful narratives and support humanising representation of marginalised communities. We should centre lived experience not panic.

4. We need to start challenging ideas that poor people are to blame for their own poverty. There’s always a reason, be it a loss of job, social circumstances or disability/sickness.

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The Environment + Green & Renewable Energy

1. Consider the challenges of building renewable energy. What is your view on how we should handle the trade‑offs between industrial growth, renewable construction, environmental impact, and the concerns of local people, for example, in the proposed Morgan & Morecambe Wind Farm?
2. What do you think should be done to tackle global warming and environmental degradation?
3. How do we achieve a just transition from the fossil fuel extraction industry to carbon neutral occupations?
4. How do you think we can tackle the lobbying power of the fossil fuel and animal agriculture industries?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. We urgently need to expand renewable energy, but how we do it matters just as much as how fast we do it. The climate crisis is real and accelerating, and delaying action has serious consequences, especially for working-class and marginalised communities. That said, renewable projects should not be imposed on communities without proper consultation or care for local environments. Decisions must be transparent, evidence-based, and genuinely participatory, with local people involved early, not after plans are already fixed.

2. We need a rapid transition to renewable energy, through public and community ownership. Keeping energy affordable, democratic and sustainable. This includes major investment in insulation, public transport and green infrastructure, creating well paid jobs as part of a just transition for workers too.

3. A just transition has to start with workers and communities, not targets alone. People who have powered the economy for decades should not be discarded in the shift to a low-carbon future. We need guaranteed retraining, ensuring pay, conditions and pensions are protected and regions need long term investment. We also need to ensure that workers and communities have a direct voice in the planning process, as well as having a system backed by public ownership, so the transition serves people and the planet, not private profits.

4. I think lobbying to influence policy is wrong and the practice should be stopped.

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The Economy

1. Imagine Your Party has just won the General Election. How do you think Your Party could best manage the hostile economic reaction of the capitalist markets and hostile hyper capitalist countries?
2. What is your view of economic growth versus de-growth, and what do you think the key economic policies of Your Party should be?
3. Do you support the Wealth Tax?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. Economy is not my area of expertise. I believe any decisions should be taken in consultation with experts

2. Again, this is sadly not my area of expertise.

3. Yes, I do support a Wealth Tax.

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Foreign and Defence policy

1. Do you commit to a complete arms embargo on Israel and ending all military cooperation, and what do you think about the global militarisation of foreign policy generally, including the planned defence of Ukraine.
2. Do you believe the UK government is complicit in the Palestinian Genocide (named as such by the UN 9/25).
3. If it were in your remit, would you reverse the proscription of Palestine Action?
4. What are your thoughts on defence expenditure in general, but also in light of the fact that we’re going through a cost of living crisis in this country and our taxes could instead be used to ease the financial burden on households and support our public services?
5. What does a ‘free Palestine’ look like to you?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. Yes! Arms embargo now. I think that militarisation is just a promise of violence which I am against.

2. Yes.

3. Yes.

4. It is a waste of money and we could spend more elsewhere.

5. One state, 1948 borders.

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General Questions on policy

1. What are the key policies that you would like to see in the Your Party manifesto for the next general election?
2. Imagine Your Party has just won a general election, what’s the first action or policy you would work to implement?
3. What do you think our taxes should be spent on?
4. What should, or should not, pension funds be invested in?
5. What are your thoughts on mass surveillance? Mandatory ID might be on ice but what about future attempts to reintroduce it, and what do you think about live facial recognition?
6. What are your thoughts on full public ownership of vital public services?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. Complete welfare reform, nationalisation, wealth tax.

2. A wealth tax and closure of tax loopholes.

3. Essential services like healthcare, education etc.

4. They shouldn’t be invested in industries that cause harm, eg, arms, fossil fuels, companies complicit in human rights abuses.

5. A stepping stone to authoritarianism, we have a right to privacy.

6. All for it!

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YOUR PARTY RULES & MANAGEMENT

1. In your opinion, what would be the most effective and fair way for Your Party to decide on and write policy (i.e. proposed and written the by CEC, by branches, by individual members, or by Sortition Assembly, for example)?
2. What are your thoughts on how the CEC, and other Your Party structures, could be made to function more effectively and in the interests of its members?
3. Do you support dual membership and, if so, which other parties would you approve?
4. ⁠Will you ensure that ‘one member, one vote’ is enshrined into the party’s constitution?
5. Voters do not want to see discord in Your Party.  What processes would you want to see put in place to allow members to raise grievances, have them addressed fairly and expediently, and for lessons to be learnt?
6. Would you ensure the CEC provides members with a contact number and email so that members can contact you with suggestions and questions?
7. Taking cybersecurity concerns and obligations into consideration, at a time when there is serious concern  that member’s data could be hacked, leaving members exposed to harassment and other risks, what protections, other than those provided by cybersecurity tools, would you want to see put in place when sharing membership information with local branch executives?
8. How do you see Your Party operating in areas where people are fundamentally right wing and any kind of public street stalls can be very dangerous for those involved, and how should Your Party CEC and the party centrally support comrades in those areas?
9. Do you support the party investing, on a targeted and financially sustainable basis, in permanent and visible local spaces to enable branches to hold meetings, run public-facing events, and engage with citizens outside of election cycles? Please also explain why you support, or don’t support, this initiative.
10. Given the fact that politics is rife with self-serving careerists who priorities their own interests and the interests of their donors, over the interests of party members, and British voters, to the extent that they are prepared to lie their way into office and then break every promise they ever made, would you support a simple mechanism that allows party members to call an immediate vote of confidence in any Your Party elected official, including MPs, councillors and staff on the CEC (or other party structures)? Also, in the event that they lose that vote of confidence, that they are immediately removed from that office (ideally triggering a by-election in the case of MPs and Cllrs)

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. I’m very big on sortition, but I think in case of policy it should be down to members and branches.

2. I’m excited that it could bring about something new and fully participatory for people who may end up left behind by traditional politics.

3. Yes, I would approve all parties besides those that run candidates against us in an election, but I wouldn’t rule out an electoral alliance with the greens. I would rather see a YP/Green coalition than a Green/Labour one.

4. Yes!

5. I would want transparency in these procedures, written rationales on all decisions taken and action decided as an outcome of said grievance.

6. Yes!

7. A data officer responsible for keeping data secure, in an encrypted file, preferably passworded.

8. Deescalation training is essential. Offering support to those who are victims of the right wing. Perhaps doubling up on numbers so that the numbers of people on street stalls deters them.

9. Yes, it is vital that people see us operating in our communities.

10. Yes & Yes!

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GENERAL QUESTIONS

1. How would you distinguish democratic socialism from social democracy, do you identify with either, and, if so, why?
2. Should there be an electoral alliance with the Green Party?
3. Please sketch how you would fight an election campaign paying particular attention to the voting base you would attempt to mobilise, the messages you would try to get across, and the means you would employ to promote such messages.
4. Do you think we should keep the Monarchy?
5. Do you think it’s important for Your Party to have strong animal rights policies? If so, can you provide examples?

SIOBHAN OVEY: Candidate for South West England (Answer submitted: 24-01-2026)

1. Social democracy works within capitalism using regulation and redistribution to reduce inequality, while democratic socialism goes further and extends democracy in to the economy itself through public ownership, worker control and strong unions. I identify with democratic socialism because I think that reform of capitalism is still capitalism and the systems within it are still hostile to the working class.

2. Yes!

3. Key policies we should be pushing should be welfare reform and wealth tax, but really focusing on empowering ordinary people, there are so many people who aren’t active voters right now and it’s essential we win them over. I think an electoral pact with the Greens is the only way we end up navigating the hostile FPTP system until we can install voters reform, which focuses on proportional representation instead of strategy. I would also like to see us collaborating with local activists on the ground, so along with our national messaging, we have local messaging for local people.

4. No.

5. Yes, I think that we should move away from systems that rely on cruelty, exploitation and environmental harm, including factory farming and practices that prioritise profit over welfare. We should also be protecting wildlife, habitats and biodiversity.

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