![Stephen Morgan MP over an image of sewage dumping](/fileadmin/_processed_/6/d/csm_SM_Ofwat_Vote_Facebook_Cover_97087a898a.png)
Portsmouth Labour MP votes to weaken water regulator
Stephen Morgan MP votes to weaken Ofwat amid record levels of sewage dumping
I was born in Portsmouth and grew up without much money in North End but I have always been drawn to the sea.
Through a sailing club, I have always sailed and by age five I was sailing a dinghy on Portsmouth Harbour.
Later, before I ever got involved in politics, I gave back as a volunteer my sailing club, teaching children how to sail, get active and safely get out on the water.
I know the value of our coastal environment.
We all have our own relationship with the Solent - walking the Prom in Southsea, swimming from the beach, or sailing like me. For many of us it helps us find peace.
It's this which motivates my campaign to stop sewage dumping. The way the Solent is treated - now awash with sewage - is vandalism of an asset that belongs to us all.
But we all need to work.
I started at 16 in catering before shifting into adult social care. I found that work so rewarding, helping older people keep their independence.
But then, I got an opportunity that changed my life.
Stephen Morgan MP votes to weaken Ofwat amid record levels of sewage dumping
The Liberal Democrats have their largest council group since 2012 in Portsmouth.
On the anniversary of the introduction of the two child benefit cap, Portsmouth Liberal Democrats have launched the campaign to finally scrap it.
The Labour MP for Portsmouth South did not show up to the key vote
11,372 households in Portsmouth were forced to remortgage their homes in 2023 amidst Liz Truss’ mini-budget fallout Households in Portsmouth have faced an additional £186 per month added to their mortgage costs
British weapons are at risk of being used to break international law. That's unacceptable.
A Member of the European Parliament asked me to move to Brussels and work in their office. I counted up my savings and seized the offer.
I had a job that barely a month before was a dream.
I'd gone from a care worker in Stamshaw to working in international politics at the heart of the European Union.
Ultimately, I would be part of a small team that built a coalition and got the European Parliament to declare a climate emergency. To me, that was politics at its positive best.
But when Britain left the European Union in January 2020 I lost my job and, at the same time, the scale of the Coronavirus pandemic was becoming clear.
I decided the right thing was to come back to Portsmouth.
I spent a few weeks living with and caring for my grandmother after she had a bad fall. Then I spent two months on Universal Credit before starting work with Tesco in North End and Fratton before going back to work in social care.
I worked in a care home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
From within a care home, the pandemic was scarier than I dared imagine. People were losing their lives and the NHS was forced to discharge infected patients into our rooms without adequate PPE.
Every day, my colleagues and I faced the danger to ourselves and the risk of bringing Covid-19 back to our family so we could look after those who needed it.
Eventually, as the pandemic receded, I moved into an administrative role and then on to my current role.
This is helping housing associations and housebuilders engage positively so we can create more affordable homes that work for local people and which not harm local communities.
Everyone needs a home, and I couldn't be prouder to work on delivering them.
I first started 'political' campaigning back in 2016, with a campaign to save the Aviary in Victoria Park.
At the time, Portsmouth City Council was led by the Conservatives. They wanted to close the Aviary despite its long history as a home for animals which came off of Royal Navy ships.
In contrast, the practical and positive Lib Dems wanted to save and rejuvenate the Aviary (now done!). I have been campaigning with the Liberal Democrats ever since.
I didn't for a second think of myself as a candidate for local MP!
Yet over the past few years, I've felt our country has taken a turn for the worse. So when I got a call from a city councillors asking me to stand and offer a positive way forward, I felt I had to act.
By January this year, the Portsmouth Liberal Democrats, who run our city well and who won 5 of the 7 wards in Portsmouth South in the recent city elections, had given me their support to challenge our current Labour incumbent and become your next MP. (The Conservatives are already out of it having got only 11% of the vote in Portsmouth South in the recent local elections.)
I've not looked back since. I have been working tirelessly to speak to people and to hold those in power to account.
Charlie and the Portsmouth Liberal Democrats depend on the support of our local community to champion our city and give it the strong voice it deserves.
If you could offer as little as an hour a month to support our work, please get in touch below. If you haven't much time, you could donate as little as £5 to help Charlie and the local Lib Dem team write to your neighbours.
11,372 households in Portsmouth were forced to remortgage their homes in 2023 amidst Liz Truss’ mini-budget fallout Households in Portsmouth have faced an additional £186 per month added to their mortgage costs
Members of the Portsmouth Liberal Democrat Party have selected local campaigner Simon Dodd to represent the party at the next General Election in Portsmouth North.
The Liberal Democrats will continue in power at Portsmouth City Council until at least 2026 following the Annual Council.