Luisa Porritt

Luisa Manon Porritt was born at the Royal Free Hospital on 23 May 1987.[4] She grew up in Camden and was educated at a local private school.[5] She earned a degree in history from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2008 and went on to complete a Master's degree at Sciences Po Paris.[6][7]

Before her political career, Porritt worked as a journalist, a consultant for strategic advisory firm Global Counsel, and a political researcher and advisor for Shriti Vadera.[8] In 2019, she was working as the UK managing director for Fargo Agency (the UK division has since been dissolved) [9] advising financial services clients such as Swiss Life Asset Management [10] who recently have came under investigation for tax evasion.[11]

Porritt recently became Head of Investment Content at Edelman Smithfield [12] which has been criticised by environmental activists due to Edelman's history of working with clients to oppose climate regulations such as its work with Exxon.[13]

Porritt joined the Liberal Democrats a few days after the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016.[14] She became a Liberal Democrat councillor for the London Borough of Camden in 2018.[15] She gained a seat for the marginal council ward of Belsize from the Conservative incumbent by nine votes, following a recount.[16] She became leader of the small Liberal Democrat group of 3 on Camden council on 7 September 2020.[17]

In the 2019 European Parliament election, she was third on the Liberal Democrat list for the London constituency.[15] The Liberal Democrats won 27% of the vote, winning three seats, so Porritt was elected as a Member of the European Parliament.[18] She was appointed deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the European Parliament.[19] During her time as an MEP, Porritt brought resolutions calling on Iran to release Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.[20]

Porritt was reported to be “seriously considering” putting her name forward to be the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2021 London mayoral election after Siobhan Benita withdrew from the race following its postponement from the original May 2020 date.[21] She won the selection against the option to reopen nominations on 13 October 2020 after the other shortlisted candidate, Geeta Sidhu-Robb, was suspended from the Liberal Democrats following antisemitism. Siddhu-Robb was filmed when she was a Conservative candidate in the 1997 general election saying: “Don’t vote for a Jew, Jack Straw is a Jew.”[22]

Porritt has called for empty offices to be turned into affordable housing,[23] and reform of stop and search.[24] She has been critical of the Government's handling of coronavirus, calling for a circuit breaker lockdown when London was put into Tier 2 restrictions in October 2020,[25] and Sadiq Khan's negotiations on the future of Transport For London.[26]She was met by criticism from environmentalists for her opposition to cycle lanes and green infrastructure.[27] Her campaign also met criticism for continually breaking covid-19 lockdown rules, with senior members such as Lib Dem Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon meeting in groups to campaign during the national lockdown. [28]

Siobhan Benita the Liberal Democrats former candidate for Mayor who Porritt replaced did not endorse Porritt in the election choosing to endorse The Rejoin EU party with her first preference [29] and Sadiq Khan as her second preference.[30]

Porritt placed fourth in the election, failing to achieve 5% of the vote and therefore losing her deposit, the Lib Dems second worst result in the London Mayoral Elections. This was the third Mayoral election in a row that the Lib Dems came 4th. Leading the Greens to suggest they were now the third party in London. Porritt came 3rd in her own council ward Belsize on 209 votes (just 1 vote more than the Greens on 4th) to Labours Sadiq Khans 986 and the Conservatives 477.[31]

In Porritt's position as a Camden councillor on August 26 2021 Porritt abstained on a motion to support Haverstock Hill cycle lane. A cycle lane in her own council ward, a position which has been criticised by the Camden Cycling Campaign who said " “We are extremely disappointed that, particularly in a month with a tragic fatality in Holborn and a serious injury in Adelaide Road, there are councillors who oppose it. We have declared a climate emergency. We have to take all possible measures to encourage walking, cycling and other environmentally responsible modes of travel. Haverstock Hill is a key link in Camden’s planned cycle network and has been in the transport strategy since 2018.” In the end despite a year long campaign against the cycle lane by the Lib Dems and Conservatives, the council voted 5 -1 in favour of its creation. [32]

Porritt is of Jewish, Spanish, Turkish, Egyptian and Austro-Hungarian descent.[33]

• Luisa Porritt for Mayor of London – campaign website
• Luisa Porritt at the European Parliament
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