”I remember how lively and engaging it was and how passionate a room full of young people were so bought into the idea of democracy changing their own and other lives for the better. Thank you, Patchwork Foundation for all the work you do, it is an honour for me to support you.”
Kindly sponsored by
Mr Speaker, Rt Hon John Bercow MP announced the Patchwork Foundation MPs of the Year 2014 for those MPs who have represented and worked well with underrepresented, deprived and minority communities. The ceremony kindly sponsored by KPMG was held at Speakers House on 5th November 2014 and was attended by over 100 youth leaders from across the country and over 30 MPs.
Announcing the winners from the State Rooms, in the Speaker’s House, The Rt Hon John Bercow MP said: “I would like to give my best wishes to the Patchwork Foundation and congratulate them for their work over the last 12 months.”
Overall winner of MP of the Year 2014 Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: “I’m honoured to have been nominated for this Patchwork Foundation award, and delighted to have won. Sadly there is still a long way to go in terms of addressing the huge underrepresentation of minority and deprived communities, both in society and in parliament itself. As MP for Brighton Pavilion, I am committed to continuing to do all I can to support and engage with those communities and to prevent people from being excluded from the political process.”
The Conservative MP of the Year 2014 Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, said: “I am deeply honoured to win the Patchwork Foundation’s Conservative MP of the Year. It is important that MPs from across the house continue to reach out to all our communities. Politics affects all our lives and is important we engage everyone who feels under-represented to secure a better future for all our communities.”
The Runner Up Conservative MP of the Year 2014 Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, said: “I am honoured to have been nominated to receive this award by one of my constituents. As a local MP, I think it’s important to work with the whole community, especially with people who don’t always find it easy to get involved in their local or national democracy. Those people still have important issues that need to be addressed and their voices should be heard. The Patchwork Foundation does a fantastic job of making sure that our democracy has a chance to work for everyone and I’ll certainly continue to work hard for my local constituents.”
Rt Hon David Cameron MP, The Prime Minister said: “I’m particularly happy to see so many Conservative Members of Parliament nominated for these awards, and particular congratulations to Eric for winning the Conservative MP of the Year Award. I know how hard Eric works, not just in his own constituency of Brentwood and Ongar, but also as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Since he was first elected to Bradford Council some 35 years ago, Eric has been a towering figure in bringing communities together, promoting the values that make Britain great and working to secure a better future for all – he certainly deserves this award. I am proud to support the ground-breaking work of the Patchwork Foundation. The organisation has helped thousands of young people from under-represented communities engage in the political process. From holding community engagement events attended by thousands of people, to small master classes with senior political figures, the Foundation is leading the way in making politics more accessible to all, regardless of where you live, where you come from, your age, ethnicity or background.”
Labour MP of the Year 2014 Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP said: “I am honoured to have been chosen for this award. The Patchwork Foundation undertakes vital work in engaging under represented communities in the political process. In my constituency of Leicester East, I work with individuals and groups of all backgrounds, faiths and races. For all groups to be better represented in Parliament, and the wider political process, is a positive and necessary aim in our multicultural society. I am very proud to be viewed as positively contributing to this process.”
Rt Hon Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party said: “I am proud to support the work of the Patchwork Foundation. They have helped thousands of young people from under represented communities from across the country to engage in the political process and I was particularly happy to welcome their youth delegation to our party conference earlier this year. I offer my warmest congratulate to Keith Vaz on his awards this evening. Keith broke the glass ceiling when he entered into Parliament as one of the four first BAME MPs in 1987.Every time I visit him in Leicester East I see just how hard he works, and just how big a difference he makes to his city. But I also know how big an impact Keith makes on the national stage. For over 32 years Keith has been a political pioneer and has consistently championed the diversity that makes Britain great and he is well deserved of your award for ‘Labour MP of the year’.”
Labour Runner Up MP of the Year 2014 Rt Hon David Lammy MP said: “The Patchwork Foundation has worked tirelessly to help ensure under-represented, deprived and marginalised communities become engaged in the political process. It is a long way from the estates of Tottenham to the corridors of Westminster, but it is important that more people make this journey as I have done, if we are to have political system that is able represent people from all backgrounds. I am deeply honoured to have been nominated and shortlisted for the Labour MP of the Year Prize, and to be awarded the runner-up prize was truly a wonderful result.”
Liberal Democrat MP of the Year 2014 Tim Farron MP said: “I’m immensely proud to have been awarded this Patchwork Foundation award, and want to thank the panel. I’m committed to doing all I can to engage those who are often disconnected from or forgotten by our political system, both in my role as President of the Lib Dems and MP for the South Lakes. I look forward to continuing to work with Patchwork, to do more to engage underrepresented communities across the UK. ”
Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats said: “I am proud to support the ground breaking work of the Patchwork Foundation. They have helped thousands of young people from under represented communities from across the country to engage in the political process. Through their excellent Get Involved they have a brilliant programme of events, from community engagement events attended by thousands of people to small master-classes with senior political figures. These are leading the way to help break down the barriers facing our communities to engage in politics and tackling prejudice based on people’s age, gender, faith, race, and sexual orientation as barriers being faced by young people today. Huge congratulations to Tim for winning Patchwork Foundation’s Liberal Democrat MP of the Year 2014. Tim has been a champion of political engage for underrepresented communities from across the country. He has been a fantastic President for our party – building a stronger economy and fairer society, and he is a deserved winner of this award.”
The Newcomer (Conservative) MP of the Year 2014 Zac Goldsmith MP, said: “I am truly honoured to have been awarded this prestigious award by the Patchwork Foundation. I hugely admire Patchwork as an organisation, and believe its efforts to encourage people from all backgrounds to become more actively engaged in politics are exemplary.”
The Newcomer (Labour) MP of the Year 2014 Anas Sarwar MP said: “I want to thank the Patchwork Foundation for the honour of this award. The outstanding work by Patchwork is paying real dividends which can be seen in increasing political engagement and representation of the BME community. I’m delighted to be named Newcomer of the Year and hope to build on the success of the recent Referendum result in Scotland, to ensure a more prosperous future for our country.”
Rt Hon Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party said: “I offer my warmest congratulations to Anas Sarwar on his award this evening. Anas has made a real mark since his election to the House of Commons in 2010. His passion for social justice and his dedication to Scotland were so clearly shown during the Referendum campaign. As Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party he played a vital role in keeping the United Kingdom together and as Acting Leader is winning respect from across the party. He has certainly earned the title ‘Newcomer of the Year.”
Jonathan Holt KPMG Partner said: ““We are delighted to sponsor these awards and help Patchwork encouraging under represented communities connect with the political process. The work done by their volunteers and the time they commit will hopefully inspire young people in all communities to fulfil their true potential. How organisations work with, and within, their local communities is a critical part of inspiring young people. That’s why KPMG pioneered a School Leaver Programme, a Business Support Academy and why, only last month KPMG hosted a series of events promoting the importance of inclusion in the workplace. We committed ourselves to ambitions which are quantifiable and against we can be judged – and these targets span across the four areas of gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation. The fact is, everyone has the right to feel safe from discrimination and bring their whole self to work so that they can fulfil their own potential.”
Simon Woolley, OBV Founder and Patchwork National Advisory Board Member said: “The MP of the Year Awards not only highlights the work MPs are doing to better understand their diverse communities, it also applauds those MP’s who are encouraging greater civic and political engagement. With many young people, particularly from BME communities feeling a huge disconnect from our elected representatives, the MP of the year awards should be a reminder to all MP’s that we expect them to give voice to those unheard, and in doing so the whole of society benefits.”
Notes:
Click Here to see Pictures from the ceremony
Through the MP of the Year Awards, The Patchwork Foundation highlights and acknowledges those MPs – nominated by individuals and grassroots community organisations, and subsequently picked by an independent panel of judges – that have excelled in representing such communities.
There have been over 90 MPs nominated from across the country including MPs from different faith groups and ethnic backgrounds. The MPs are judged by 5 key criteria:
| 1. Deprived communities (including white working class communities) |
| 2. Faith communities |
| 3. Ethnic communities |
| 4. Sexual Orientation communities |
| 5. Other communities traditionally excluded by the political process |
The Patchwork Foundation launched the MP of the Year Awards 2014 in association with Mosaic Associates, the Three Faiths Forum, UpRising and National Union of Students earlier this year, hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister at Admiralty House.
Judges: Shabir Randeree CBE (Chairman, HRH Prince of Wales’ Mosaic), Simon Woolley (Founder, Operation Black Vote), Andrea Cooper (Director, UpRising), Daniella Shaw-Gabay (Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Three Faiths Forum), Jonathan Freeman (National Director, HRH Prince of Wales’ Mosaic), Toni Pearce (President, National Union of Students) and Sophie Stephens (Senior Organiser, Citizens UK).
Click to watch:
Promo MP of Year Ceremony 2013
Category: Overall MP of the Year
Winner: Caroline Lucas MP
Nominations: All MPs below
Category: Conservative MP of the Year
Winner: Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP
Runner Up: Rt Hon Andew Mitchell MP & Rt Hon Justine Greening MP
Nominations: Andrew Mitchell MP, Chris Grayling MP, David Davis MP, David Jones MP, Dominic Grieve MP, Richard Ottaway MP, Tony Baldry MP, Lee Scott MP, Edward Timpson MP, William Hague MP, Adam Afriyie MP, David Cameron MP, Justine Greening MP, Francis Maude MP, Eric Pickles MP, Grant Shapps MP & Hugo Swire MP
Category: Labour MP of the Year
Winner: Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP
Runner Up: Rt Hon David Lammy MP
Nominations: Fabian Hamilton MP, Fiona Mactaggart MP, Keith Vaz MP, Lyn Brown MP, Stephen Timms MP, Stephen Twigg MP, Andy Burnham MP, Angela Eagle MP, David Lammy MP, Diane Abbott MP, Ed Balls MP, Ed Miliband MP, Gerald Kaufman MP, Gordon Brown MP, Harriet Harman MP, Jamie Reed MP, John Denham MP, Margaret Beckett MP, Mark Hendrick MP, Michael Meacher MP, George Mudie MP, Tessa Jowell MP, George Howarth MP, John Cruddas, Tony Cunninngham MP, Hilary Benn MP, Ivan Lewis MP, Sadiq Khan MP & John Cryer MP
Category: Liberal Democrat MP of the Year
Winner: Tim Farron MP
Runner Up: Don Foster MP
Nominations: Alistair Carmichael MP, Don Foster MP, Ed Davey MP, Greg Mulholland MP, Jenny Willott MP, Jo Swinson MP, John Hemming MP, John Leech MP, Norman Lamb MP, Sarah Teather MP, Simon Hughes MP, Tim Farron MP, Nick Clegg MP, Danny Alexander MP, Vince Cable MP, Lynne Featherstone MP, Andrew Stunnell MP & Stephen Williams MP
Category: NewComer MP of the Year
Winner: Zac Goldsmith MP & Anas Sarwar MP
Nominations: Alok Sharma MP Anas Sarwar MP, Angie Bray MP, Chuka Umunna MP, Jon Ashworth MP, Jonathan Reynolds MP, Lilian Greenwood MP, Rushanara Ali MP, Stella Creasy MP, Steve Reed MP, Zac Goldsmith MP, Helen Grant MP, Sam Gyimah MP, Matthew Offord MP, Sajid Javid MP, Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Claire Perry MP, Rory Stewart MP, Steve Brine MP, Chi Onwurah MP, Gloria de Piero MP, Luciana Berger MP, Lucy Powell MP, Shabana Mahmood MP, Tristam Hunt MP, Yasmin Qureshi MP, Lisa Nandy MP & Seema Malhotra MP
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