Stephen has led the Labour group at the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham for the last 13 years. He has been the borough’s leader since H&F Labour’s first landslide in 2014.

Stephen quickly set up an independent business-led commission that reviewed how to make Hammersmith & Fulham the best place for business in the EU. He also set up a ground-breaking industrial strategy partnership with Imperial College London designed to make his borough a global hotspot in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and creative industries.

Under Stephen’s leadership, H&F has developed a national reputation for its bold approach to change which has included:

• being the only council in England to abolish charges for adult social care
• the only UK council to send social workers to refugee camps rescuing more child refugees than any other UK council
• successfully leading the fight to halt the biggest hospital closure programme in London’s history
• being the first UK borough to formally call for Brexit to be halted and for the British people to be given a confirmatory vote on any deal agreed by Parliament.

Stephen is originally from the north west. He worked in computer magazine publishing before setting up a business which specialised in management, leadership, and negotiation training.