Navigating the Path to Parliament: The Realities of Becoming an MP

Event Overview:

The Conservative Young Women is excited to host an insightful in-person panel and breakout discussion,

addressing the genuine challenges that women face when aspiring to become Members of

Parliament.

The event aims to provide a realistic perspective on the time commitment, financial responsibilities, the impact on family life and more that comes with a political career.

Speakers:

Alicia Kearns is the MP for Rutland and Melton since 2019. In October 2022, she made history as the first female and youngest Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Kearns, a one-nation conservative. Before being elected to Parliament, Kearns had a diverse careerworking on counter-terrorism at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and then as an independent consultant across the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans

Samia Hersi is the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Queen's Park and Maida Vale. Born in London to Somali immigrant parents, Hersi's early experiences shaped her values of hard work. Starting as a bartender, she later worked in education charities, advocating for disadvantaged children. Hersi is a policy and public affairs adviser and previously served as a Parliamentary Researcher for Gillian Keegan. Active in the Conservative Party, she stood as a local council candidate, became Chairman of the Stratford and Bow Conservative Association, and served on the Poplar and Limehouse Executive Committee.

Frances Lasok joined the Conservative Party in 2015 and two weeks later was left in sole charge of a marginal seat campaign for the General Election. Aged 21 and with no background in politics, within a year she’d turned the team around to deliver the biggest swing win in England. Over the next four years, she delivered election wins against the national trend, including for the then-Chancellor. After stints in tech and trade policy, she now works in devolution and regional development, and holds two degrees from the University of Warwick, one of which included one of the first studies of its type looking at political membership from an organisational science perspective.