Meet the team
We are policy experts, political strategists and pollsters. We have worked in government, the private sector and charities, in political parties and on political campaigns.
Core Team
JONATHAN ASHWORTH
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Jonathan began working for the Labour Party in 2001. In 2011, he was elected to parliament in Leicester South and held this seat for 13 years until 2024. He served in a number of shadow ministerial roles, including Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and most recently, Shadow Paymaster General.
MATTHEW UPTON
DIRECTOR OF POLICY
Before joining Labour Together, Matt worked in the private, public and voluntary sectors, most recently as Executive Director of Policy & Advocacy at Citizens Advice. Previous roles have been in local government and in a political consultancy. He is also a trustee at the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust.
TERRIE MCCANN
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & PARTNERSHIPS
Terrie worked in the charitable sector for over fifteen years, running funding campaigns for a variety of organisations including the Natural History Museum and Sadler's Wells, as well as leading operations and strategy at think tanks and civil society. Her previous role was in the Fundraising team at Labour, first leading the team, then working with senior leaders across the Party to guide and advise on fundraising and strategy.
CHRISTABEL COOPER
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH
Christabel spent fifteen years working as a data analyst in the private sector, specialising in Big Data. She has also worked with DataPraxis, particularly in analysing the 2019 General Election result, and carried out extensive research and polling with YouGov after the Brexit referendum. She was formerly a Labour councillor in Hammersmith and Fulham.
VIRGINIA SENTANCE MBE
DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY & CLEAN ENERGY
Virginia joined Labour Together after over ten years in the UK Government, with roles in HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, and the Foreign Office. She has advised ministers on a range of issues across climate change, the net zero transition, and economic security. Most recently Virginia led the negotiations for The Atlantic Declaration, the US-UK flagship economic partnership, and was instrumental in delivering the UK's COP26 Presidency.
KIRSTY INNES
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
Kirsty spent the first part of her career in the Civil Service, working on a range of economic and foreign policy issues in the Treasury, Foreign Office and Cabinet Office. In 2019 she joined the Tony Blair Institute where her work focused on applying technology to deliver radically better public services. In October Kirsty is joining Labour Together as Director of Technology Policy to help develop an ambitious tech policy agenda for the next Labour Government.
JP SPENCER
DIRECTOR OF DEVOLUTION POLICY
JP has over a decade of experience working across economic policy and strategy in both the public and private sectors. This includes roles at HM Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Metro Dynamics.
MORGAN WILD
CHIEF POLICY ADVISOR
Morgan joined Labour Together from Citizens Advice where he was Head of Policy. He's interested in why policy keeps failing, why we keep noticing and why we don't fix it. He's spent his career exploiting this fact to help get a few billion back in people's pockets, but wants to know why it keeps happening. He's worked a bit on a lot of things, including energy policy, inflation measurement, regulation and social security.
JACK SHAW
SENIOR ADVISOR
Jack joined Labour Together having spent a decade working in, with and for local government. He specialises in regional economics, devolution, local government and industrial policy – and in particular how policy interacts with practice. Jack has held previous roles at IPPR, the Local Government Association and in Parliament. He is currently a Fellow at The Productivity Institute at University of Manchester and the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, as well as a trustee at homelessness charity Justlife.
CAM VARGAS
HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS
Before joining Labour Together, Cam ran YouGov's UK press office for two years. Here he managed all media and broadcast across YouGov's political and current affairs work. Before that, he spent four years at Savanta where he helped set up their press and polling division, and two years with the research agency, ComRes.
JAMES HOWAT
CHIEF ECONOMIST
James spent nearly a decade at the Bank of England, with his most recent role leading the team designing the Bank's future monetary policy toolkit. He has also worked as an economist at the consultancy Capital Economics.
BEN SZRETER
CHIEF OF STAFF
Ben previously worked for the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) as the Senior Policy Advisor to the CEO working on behavioural science projects across the world. Whilst at BIT he also spent time on secondment to Nesta working on growth and tax policy. Earlier in his career Ben worked in Parliament as a researcher, as Chief Executive of a community-based charity in Cambridge and on UK trade in Myanmar.
BEL GUILLAUME
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS & DEVELOPMENT
Bel joined Labour Together in January 2024, having previously worked at Onward for two and a half years on development, events and policy research. She holds a Master of Philosophy in Music from the University of Cambridge.
CHARLES WHITE
PRESS OFFICER
Charles joined Labour Together from the House of Commons where he was Senior Media Relations Manager. Before that, he spent four years working at the Church of England as Media Officer, and Policy and Parliamentary Adviser for the Lord Spirituals.
FINTAN SMITH
RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS MANAGER
Fintan brings three years of experience from YouGov, where he worked in political opinion polling. He has helped a range of clients, including political groups, academics, and journalists, with research design, data collection, and data analysis. He is especially interested in the application of experimental designs to public opinion research.
ALEX O’CONNOR
SENIOR OPERATIONS MANAGER
Alex worked as a political staffer in Jacinda Ardern’s Government for five years, and has helped run New Zealand Labour campaigns at a local and national level. She most recently worked for the New Zealand High Commission in London.
LAUREL BOXALL
TECH POLICY ADVISOR
Laurel specialises in public attitudes to technology, with particular regard to artificial intelligence. Following a Master's at the University of Cambridge, she has joined the tech team to work on Al strategy and digital transformation.
ELERI KIRKPATRICK-LORENTE
POLICY ADVISOR
Eleri joined Labour Together in February 2023, having previously worked for Oliver Coppard, the Mayor of South Yorkshire. Before that, she worked as a Parliamentary Assistant to Paul Blomfield MP and as the lead organiser in several Parliamentary selections.
Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board draws on all of Britain’s talents - experts from politics, policy, academia and industry helping Labour Together to find the bold ideas that can change Britain for the better.
SARAH MULLEY
ADVISORY BOARD
Sarah is a policy researcher and consultant with a particular interest in migration policy. Sarah was previously an Executive Director at the Greater London Authority with responsibility for communities and skills. Before that, she led work on migration, communities, employment and family policy at IPPR.
KATE FORRESTER
ADVISORY BOARD
Kate is a former regional and political journalist, starting her career on her local paper in the north west before moving to London to work from the Parliamentary Press Gallery. She is also a former Labour Party press officer and political adviser, and now works for public affairs agency APCO Worldwide.
PROFESSOR HELEN THOMPSON
ADVISORY BOARD
Helen is Professor of Political Economy. She has been at Cambridge since 1994. Her current research concentrates on the political economy of energy and the long history of the democratic, economic, and geopolitical disruptions of the twenty-first century. She is a regular panellist on Talking Politics and a columnist for the New Statesman.
SARAH HUNTER
ADVISORY BOARD
Sarah has spent her career working in public policy and technology, with a specialism in climate tech. She advises a number of organisations, including as a Non-Executive Director at the UK’s new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). Sarah spent 10 years as Director of Global Public Policy at for X (formerly Google X). Before joining Google, Sarah was Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Senior Policy Adviser on Culture, Media and Sport in Downing Street. She is a Trustee of the social innovation charity, NESTA and Skateboard GB.
SIR GEOFF MULGAN
ADVISORY BOARD
Geoff is Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London (UCL). Prior to that he was Chief Executive of Nesta, the UK's innovation foundation between 2011 and the end of 2019. Between 1997 and 2004 Geoff had roles in the UK government including director of the Government's Strategy Unit and the Performance and Innovation Unit, and head of policy in the Prime Minister's office. From 2004 to 2011 he was Chief Executive of The Young Foundation. He was the first director of the think-tank Demos; and has been a reporter on BBC TV and radio.
ANDREW COOPER
ADVISORY BOARD
Andrew was a co-founder of Populus and brings more than two decades of experience advising business and political leaders. He’s worked at the heart of government as Director of Strategy in 10 Downing Street and is a politically unaffiliated member of the House of Lords. His clients include M&S, RBS, BT, British Airways, Amazon and Sainsbury’s.
PROFESSOR ANAND MENON
ADVISORY BOARD
Anand Menon is Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at Kings College London. He also directs the UK in a Changing Europe project. He is co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of the European Union (OUP, 2012), and co-author of Brexit and British Politics (Polity 2018). He is a trustee of Full Fact a member of the Strategic Council of the European Policy Centre, a Council member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and an associate fellow of Chatham House.
RT. HON ALAN MILBURN
ADVISORY BOARD
Alan was an MP for 18 years and served for five years in Tony Blair’s Cabinet, first as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1998 to 1999, and subsequently as Secretary of State for Health until 2003 and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 2004-5. He served as the Chair of the Social Mobility Commission under both David Cameron and Theresa May. He is Chancellor of Lancaster University and Chair of The Social Mobility Foundation.
PROFESSOR ROB FORD
ADVISORY BOARD
Rob is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester. He works broadly in the areas of public opinion, electoral choice and party politics. His first book (co-authored with Matthew Goodwin) - "Revolt on the Right" - examined the rise of the UK Independence Party. It was named Political Book of the Year in 2015. He has edited two volumes of short essays for a general audience looking at voter behaviour and public opinion - "Sex, Lies and the Ballot Box" and "More Sex, Lies and the Ballot Box".
SUE RUBENSTEIN
ADVISORY BOARD
Building on a career in public sector consulting, Sue co-founded her consultancy (later acquired by GE Healthcare) which supported leadership and governance effectiveness in the NHS. She has held a range of board roles in the NHS, education and the third sector and is currently the Chair of Trustees at Bloody Good Period and the incoming Chair of the Refugee Asylum and Migration Policy (RAMP) Project. She now offers coaching support to the leaders of a range of innovative non-profits.
JAMES CRABTREE
ADVISORY BOARD
James Crabtree is a geopolitical analyst and author, with extensive experience living and working in Asia. He is a distinguished visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He spent ten years as a journalist and foreign correspondent, notably for the Financial Times, where he was both Mumbai Bureau Chief and Comment Editor. He is currently a columnist for Foreign Policy, and writes for publications ranging from the FT and Straits Times to The New York Times, the Guardian and Wired. He previously worked as a senior advisor in the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, under Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
Our Fellows bring their expertise and energy to develop bold new ideas for a Labour government.
Policy fellows
RUAIRIDH MACINTOSH
POLICY FELLOW
Ruairidh focuses on the policy and politics of Net Zero. Outside of Labour Together, he works with FTSE100 companies on what it will take to accelerate the transition. He was previously a special advisor to the UN Climate Change High Level Champions. He has particular experience on public opinion and political strategy, both on climate change and more widely. Ruairidh is also a Senior Advisor to the Labour Climate and Environment Forum.
WILL BRETT
POLICY FELLOW
Will Brett provides strategic advice to senior organisational leaders and politicians, with a focus on grassroots-led campaigning and political influencing. He is currently director of We're Right Here, the national campaign for community power. Will was previously Director of Communications at the New Economics Foundation and has also worked for a number of senior Labour politicians including Ed Miliband, Tessa Jowell and Stella Creasy.
CHRIS FLEMING
POLICY FELLOW
Chris is a specialist in the digital transformation of public services, with a particular focus on the NHS. Chris is a partner at Public Digital where he leads their healthcare practice, providing advice and support to leaders who want to bring their services and organisations into the digital era. He has worked with over 100 provider trust boards on leading digital change, and previously worked at NHS Digital where he led product and delivery for a number of national platforms for the NHS including the NHS App, 111 online and the NHS’s vaccine trials registry.
DR MATT KILLEYA
POLICY FELLOW
Dr Matthew Killeya is an entrepreneur, former business owner, non-executive director, campaigner and activist. He helped build and lead a global investment firm as Partner, Head of Research and Chief Investment Officer, where he co-founded the Cantab Institute in the Mathematics of Information at Cambridge University. He has a PhD in Bayesian Statistics and is an expert in Bayesian analysis, artificial intelligence and Green investment.
MATTHEW LAWRENCE
POLICY FELLOW
Mathew is the founder and Director of the think tank Common Wealth. Previously he was a Senior Research Fellow at IPPR working on their Commission on Economic Justice. He is the co-author of Owning the Future (2022) and Planet on Fire (2021).
ANDY WESTWOOD
POLICY FELLOW
Andy Westwood works with Labour Together on skills, further and higher education policy and how these relate to ambitions for growth and productivity throughout the UK. Andy is a Professor of Public Policy, Government and Business and a director of the Productivity Institute at the University of Manchester. He is also a governor at NIESR and at the University of Wolverhampton and an advisory board member of the Bennett Institute at Cambridge University. He also works as an expert adviser to a range of organisations including the IMF, OECD, EU and to the Economic Affairs Committee in the House of Lords. He worked as a special adviser to UK ministers on innovation, education and skills during the last Labour government.
DR TOM KELLY OBE
POLICY FELLOW
Dr Tom Kelly has been working in politics, public affairs, and media across Ireland and the UK for thirty years. He was previously parliamentary advisor to the late Seamus Mallon MP and former deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland; and was executive director of the Social Democratic Group sponsored by the USA National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. In 2016, he chaired the NI Stronger in Europe campaign. Tom was a member of the British/Irish government Anglo-Irish Encounter Group and Honorary Professor in the School of Communication at Ulster University (2001-12).
Funding
Labour Together is regulated by the Electoral Commission. Political donations to Labour Together are listed on the Electoral Commission website, which can be found here.