Our Glenis to lead Labour in Europe...

Congratulations to our East Midlands Euro-MP Glenis Willmott who has today been chosen as Labour’s new leader in Europe.

Glenis becomes the second woman to become Labour's Leader in the European Parliament - the first being the legendary Barbara Castle.

And like Barbara Castle before her, Glenis is a real fighter for the interests of people, both here in the UK and across Europe.

Since becoming our MEP only two years ago, Glenis has proved to be a real people's champion. (CORRECTION - it's actually three years since Glenis became MEP).

She works her socks off to toughen safeguards for consumers, from combatting over-charging by mobile phone companies to increasing protection when people are booking holidays and ending hidden airfare costs.

She campaigns to protect young people through the introduction of a missing children helpline, a child trafficking advice line and improvement to internet safeguards.

She is currently fighting for free fruit and veg to be offered to all primary school children, and has highlighted legislation to make toys safer as well as new strategies to fight obesity sooner and cut teenage smoking rates.

She also raises awareness of cervical cancer and screening and has championed a national cervical cancer vaccination programme launched last September.

And among many other campaigns, she has fought to save jobs for disabled people in the East Midlands, promoted active ageing and independent living for older people and worked to ban the import of products causing harm to animals.

Born into a mining family, Glenis began her career in medical science in Mansfield before working for Mansfield MP Alan Meale and later becoming one of the few women to hold a top trade union position as senior officer, looking after GMB members in Lincolnshire.

She became Labour’s Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands in February 2006 following the sudden death of Phillip Whitehead.