Mr Speaker, Rt Hon John Bercow MP and Patron of the Patchwork Foundation announced the winners of the MP of the Year Awards 2017 kindly sponsored by KPMG at Speakers House on 15th November 2017, for those MPs who have represented and work well with underrepresented, deprived and minority communities across the country.

The top three awards this year went to Dawn Butler for Overall MP of the Year Award 2017, Heidi Allen for Overall Newcomer MP of the Year Award 2017 and the Rt Hon Diane Abbott for Overall People’s Choice MP for Year Award 2017.

Dawn Butler MP said: 

“I am truly honoured and humbled to receive the Patchwork Foundation’s prestigious MP of the Year Award 2017. To be presented with this award by the Patchwork Foundation, that does such amazing work reaching out and engaging with underrepresented groups in society, is such a proud moment for me.  This year has been an emotional year campaigning and giving a voice to the voiceless has been humbling. I was adamant that I would use my position to stand up for people. I was delighted to use my position over the past year to stand up for all groups in society, campaigning for British Sign Language to receive full legal status, campaigning against the unlawful employment tribunal fees which prevented so many people from accessing justice, and leading an important debate on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which had never been formally marked in parliament.  I will cherish this award. It also drives me forward to continue this work, now as Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, to champion these groups often marginalised in our society and increase participation from all our communities, as I am convinced that the more diverse our boardrooms, government and positions of power become, the more knowledge it will bring to the table to shape a better, fairer and more equal society.”

 Heidi Allen MP said:

“I am incredibly honoured to have won the Patchwork Foundation’s Overall Newcomer MP of the Year Award. To have won their Conservative Newcomer MP of the Year a year ago, and now this – I am lost for words. The most rewarding part of my job is being able to give a voice to those in our society who do not have one. I absolutely love my job and consider it a huge privilege.”

 Rt Hon Diane Abbott MP said:

“I am honoured to achieve this award. I think politics should aim to include everyone and we fail people if they feel excluded. One of my key motivations in going into politics was to help give a voice to those who wouldn’t otherwise have one. So I’m both humbled and delighted to achieve this award and pledge to continue to help give a voice to all communities.”

The Prime Minister Rt Hon Thresa May MP said:  

‘I would like to congratulate the winners of tonight’s awards for all their efforts and hard work in encouraging young people from under-represented communities to engage in the political process.  I passionately believe that how far you go in life should be about your talents and your hard work and nothing else.  But at the moment, there are too many professions, including politics, where those from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds are underrepresented.  That is why, last month, the Government published an unprecedented audit of how someone’s race affects the way they are treated by public services including health, education and employment.  The results are published on the website, Ethnicity Facts and Figures, and I hope this will become a central resource in the battle to defeat ethnic injustice.  For when one person works just as hard as another person – and has got the same ambitions and aspirations – but experiences a worse outcome solely on the grounds of their ethnicity, that is a problem we have to confront.  That is also why the work of The Patchwork Foundation is so important.  The organisation has helped thousands of young people from diverse backgrounds through their community engagement events, masterclasses with senior political figures and training on political campaigning. The Foundation is leading the way in making politics more accessible to all.  And it proves that young people from any background can be at the heart of British politics.  That is something to be applauded so congratulations, once again, to all of tonight’s winners.’

Labour Party Leader Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP said:

“The Patchwork Foundation works all year round to ensure young people from deprived and minority communities believe in themselves and understand the power they have to take part in our democracy.  I know Labour MPs really appreciated the work Patchwork activists did during the general election and I was delighted to thank Patchworkers personally after my Leader’s speech at the Labour Party conference in Brighton.  I congratulate all the 2017 winners of the Patchwork MP of the Year awards, and especially to Dawn Butler for being named Overall MP of the Year. I hope they inspire us to keep doing more to empower every person in our community to take part in our politics.”

Siddiq Musa, KPMG Partner said: 

‘KPMG is delighted to sponsor the Patchwork MP of the Year Awards for the fourth consecutive year. We fully support the Foundation’s drive to engage under-represented, deprived and minority communities with politics.  The vote to leave the European Union brought into sharp relief regional inequalities which exist across the UK. These inequalities are felt most by young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.  As a firm, KPMG is committed to tackling social mobility. Our strong regional and national presence allows us to lead this debate in the business community. By using our convening power and influence, we work collectively with other sectors to address the critical social issues facing the UK today.  It is crucial that as a Firm, we open up access to high-quality employment opportunities, and, that government, business and the third sector work together to strengthen the link between education and employment, ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.’

Background

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 130 MPs nominated from across the country including MPs from different faith groups and ethnic backgrounds.  The MPs are judged by 5 key criteria:

Awards

Overall MP of the Year – Dawn Butler MP

Overall Newcomer MP of the Year – Heidi Allen MP

Overall People’s Choice MP of the Year  – Rt Hon Diane Abbott MP

Conservative MP of the Year – Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP

Newcomer Conservative MP of the Year – Alan Mak MP

Conservative People’s Choice MP of the Year – Jacob Rees-Mogg MP

Labour MP of the Year – Jon Ashworth MP

Newcomer Labour MP of the Year – Jess Philips MP

Labour People’s Choice MP of the Year – Rt Hon Emily Thornberry MP

Other Party People’s Choice MP of the Year – Caroline Lucas MP

Newcomer Other Party MP of the Year – Angela Crawley MP

SNP People’s Choice – Mhairi Black MP

Overall Newcomer People’s Choice MP of the Year – Anglea Rayner MP

Masterclass Tutor of the Year – Rt Hon Justine Greening MP

Civil Servant of the Year – Steve Newbound

Patchworker of the Year – Nana Yaa Acheampong