Stella Creasy, Shadow Home Affairs minister with responsibility for violence against women: live webchat TODAY, Thursday 27 September 1-2pm

[FrancesMumsnet]

We are pleased to announce that Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, will be joining us for a webchat on Thursday 27 September from 1-2pm. Prior to being an MP, Stella was Head of Public Affairs at the Scout Association. She is Shadow Minister for Crime Prevention, and has campaigned on pay day loans (including lobbying presenters Ant and Dec about their association with payday loans company Wonga).

Stella is now supporting One Billion Rising UK, the UK arm of the wider One Billion Rising campaign, an international coalition to end violence against women and girls. The campaign will culminate on 14 February 2013 on the 15th anniversary of V Day. V-Day is about women's collective strength, numbers and solidarity across borders. You can see Stella's Mumsnet Blog about One Billion Rising here.

As ever, if you're unable to join us on the day please post your questions in advance here.

Thank you
MNHQ

Hello Stella - welcome to Mumsnet.

Can I ask whether you'll be running for Mayor of London in 2016? Would be great to see a woman doing the job.

Do you like your name? It's on our shortlist.

Hi Stella. On your blog you linked to a BBC article about FGM. In it, Dr Comfort Momoh challenges David Cameron to do something about FGM. Are there any legislation changes, lobbying, conscious raising at a parliamentary level etc, taking place to address this real threat to thousands of girls?

Thanks

Hi Stella - no question, just wanted to say thanks - you are my MP in Walthamstow and some of us really appreciate you. Can't say more without outing myself!

Hi Stella
I am in an annoying meeting tomorrow but am a big admirer - you are v similar age to me and I also worked in PR.

Do you think the 'career' politico tagline people give to people with your professional background is unfair?

How did you like the world of PR and how does it compare to your job now?

Have just realised I was at school with Stella - how bizarre.

Makes me realise I should have done more with my life.

What, if anything, will labour do to secure, and increase, the funding of women's aid and rape crisis centres? Either in opposition or if elected

Hello Stella, welcome to MN.

I've been following you on Twitter for some time (there is no way of saying that without sounding stalkery, is there) and am impressed with both your excellent local engagement and your nationwide campaigning.

Were you always interested in politics, and did your parents foster that interest?

And - how can we get young people interested in politics - especially those whose parents are not politically active.

Btw, do you follow Libdemchild on Twitter?

Stella, what would you say if David Cameron told you to calm down? How sexist is Parliament these days?

Oh, and PS: What does Magna Carta mean

Interested to hear about you campaigning against payday loan companies. On a completely trivial note, can you tell the difference between Ant and Dec?

Will try and think of a proper question and come back

What family car do you drive?

Just curious I guess, but also trying to make that decision myself.

Thanks.

I just wanted to echo TheFarSide - you are my local MP and while I campaigned for a different candidate in 2010, I think you're doing a great job and you'll have my vote next time.

Hello Stella, thanks for coming on, I think you're great.

So my question is, Would you like to lead the Labour Party? Obviously it's not in my gift, but..

Just wondering what you think about job-sharing for MPs - would that be something you'd have been interested in and do you reckon if it came in, it would encourage a greater variety of people to become MPs?

Oh and is it true that there's still a certain hostility reluctance amongst the old guard to allowing capable young women really to progress within the party?

Hello Stella. I won't be here at 1 because I am doing some training. But please can I beg you to do something about the gymbalow? It's still there, they are living in it and renting out the house to individual lodgers.

And no one believes me except Mumsnet

Oh yeah. STELLA FOR PM!!!!!!!
(specially if she sorts out the gymbalow)

Hi Stella,
I've got 2 questions

What's your view on paid/unpaid internships? Surely if we ban unpaid internships then we're not giving our young the chance to get a bit of experience, which might in turn lead to a job?

And I have always been of the opinion that politicians - yes, even Labour ones - are self-serving and use their affiliation to political parties as a means to get ahead. What can you say to convince me that you're not self-serving and that you became an MP to serve your constituency, not just for the fame and glam factor?

Thanks!

Thanks for coming on Stella.

Did you vote for Ed or David?

And where do you stand on the union vote?

And don't you think it's time for Labour to set out in detail their economic strategy, even at this early stage of the election cycle.

Sorry, that's 3 qs...

Hi Stella,

I also follow you on Twitter and am very impressed with your campaigning.

Two questions:

1. Would you like there to be a cap on APR, so that rates like Wonga's would be a thing of the past?

2. How can we get a wider variety of people to enter politics? It seems a bit depressing that so many new MP's have v similar education and work backgrounds.

Many thanks!

Hi Stella

What can we do to stop violence against women in the UK? As individuals or collectively?

And are there any problems you can anticipate with upcoming changes to the benefits system that might adversely affect women in abusive relationships?

Sorry, two questions!

following on from personanongrata, I'd like to ask what's the worst bit of sexism you've ever encountered in your career, and how did you handle it? do you see it a lot?

Hi Stella, I'd like to know your views on Page 3 and if you have signed the No More Page 3 petition? And if so/not, why?

Hello and welcome to mumsnet!

Will you be pressing for refuges and supported housing to be taken out of universal credit and the overall benefit cap?

The government don't seem to be clear whether they will as yet, or whether women in refuges will have to apply to the discretionary fund to meet their housing costs. Discretionary funds, as I interpret it, are not money that is guaranteed. This is totally wrong IMO, women fleeing abuse need a guarantee that their housing costs will be paid, and that they don't have to make up the difference themselves.

Womens aid are concerned that if survivors are not exempted from the overall benefit cap then the many refuges will have to close.