FLORENCE’S POLITICAL CAREER

In 2006, Florence was elected onto Lambeth Council representing Brixton Hill ward. During her time at Lambeth, she held a number of roles including Chair of Housing Scrutiny, Deputy Cabinet Member and Cabinet Member for Culture.
In 2007 she set up the post of Lambeth Youth Mayor and has continued to provide on-going mentorship and work experience opportunities to Lambeth young people.

She was the London Council’s representative on the Arts Council, London Region Council from 2011 – 2018 where she pushed for investment to help expand the reach of arts and culture with London’s BAME communities.

In 2016, Florence was elected onto the London Assembly representing the Lambeth & Southwark constituencies. As an Assembly Member (AM) she has focused her work on securing funding for voluntary and community groups providing opportunities for young people, pushing for improved transport investment, improved services for young girls and women exploited by gangs and violence and protecting workers rights by challenging Uber.

Locally she has led the campaign to ‘Save Kennington Police Station’ – the last police station in the Vauxhall constituency.

In 2019, she was elected as the Labour MP for Vauxhall.

Florence campaigned passionately for the UK to remain in the EU and is against Brexit.

OUTSIDE POLITICS

Florence is a lifelong Brixton resident and the eldest of three girls from a single parent family. Her mum worked as a school teacher until her illness forced her to retire early. Florence supported her mother, who suffered from Sickle Cell Anaemia and renal failure, as her carer.

Florence attended local schools in Lambeth including Durand Primary (now Van Gogh) and St Helen’s RC Primary school and Bishop Thomas Grant Secondary School. She completed her A-Level’s at St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College in Clapham South. She is the first member of her family to go to university, graduating with a BA Hons in Political & International Studies with Law from Middlesex University. Florence benefited from the EU Funded ‘Erasmus Student Exchange’ and had the opportunity to study at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Florence started her working life as a 16-year-old at Sainsbury’s supermarket, Clapham High Street. She has worked in a variety of campaigning and public affairs roles including in Local Government as a Policy Officer, as a Regional Organiser for the Labour Party during the 2005 General Election and as the Public Affairs Manager for the UK’s leading Race Equality Think Thank, the Runnymede Trust.

Florence is married to Matthew and they have two children, Mia and Malachi, who were both born locally at St Thomas’s hospital.

Florence is active at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Brixton where she serves as a Eucharist Reader.