Alison Seabeck (1954 to present)
London-born, she worked at the House of Commons where, amongst other things, she became a member of the Fawcett Society and the Labour Women’s Network. She was selected as the Labour candidate for Plymouth Devonport, and was elected in 2005, becoming the city’s sixth woman MP. She held the seat until boundary changes meant that, at the 2010 election, she was transferred and elected for Plymouth Moor View, losing her seat at the 2015 election. Like her predecessors, she championed Plymouth’s particular interests, including defence, contributing as a committee member to the Defence Reform Act 2014. She also sustained her interest in women’s issues, including seeking to introduce an exemption from the ‘bedroom tax’ to avoid penalising victims of domestic violence who had a panic room installed for their protection. Now Alison Raynsford, after her marriage to Nick Raynsford, another former Labour MP, she continues her interest in Plymouth as well as in women’s issues, including seeing an increase in the numbers of women in politics (local and national). As part of this, she plays an important role in mentoring aspiring and elected women Labour MPs.