Polly Billington

Polly Billington (born 1967) is a former BBC journalist who worked on the Today programme before becoming a special advisor to Ed Miliband. She was the media director for his successful bid in the Labour leadership election, 2010.[1] Billington is Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Thurrock at the next election, and a Labour Party official; she no longer works for Ed Miliband.

Education and journalism career

Billington took a postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the department of Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Central Lancashire in 1993.[2]

Billington was a BBC reporter for theToday programme, Newsbeat on Radio 1, News 24 and the Politics Show.

Labour Party official and candidate

She became a special adviser to Ed Miliband in 2007 when he was working on party policy and election strategy in the Cabinet Office[3] and according to The Daily Telegraph she was the 59th most influential person on the UK left in 2011.[4]

Billington sought to become a parliamentary candidate in February 2010, when she was shortlisted for the safe Labour seat of North Tyneside, but local candidate Mary Glindon was selected instead.[5] She was the media director for Ed Miliband's successful Labour leadership bid.[6] She is credited with honing his questions and replies to David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions.[7]

In November 2011, Billington launched another bid to be selected as a Labour MP, this time in Thurrock.[8] This time she gained the nomination for a marginal seat. She was one of 15 Labour candidates each given financial support of £10,000 by Lord Matthew Oakeshott the former Liberal Democrat in January 2015. [9]

References

  1. ↑ "Channel Four, Who Knows Who". Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "University of Central Lancashire, Graduate returns for the enewsbeat challenge". Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  3. ↑ "Civil Service Live Network". Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "The Top 100 Most Influential People on the Left 2011: 51–75". Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  5. ↑ "Richard Moss' blog, BBC". Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Channel Four, Who Knows Who". Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  7. ↑ "Ed Miliband's Dartmouth Park posse". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Polly Billington's Bid For Thurrock – An Escape From Ed Strategy?". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "Former Lib Dem Lord Oakeshott donates £300,000 to Labour candidates". New Statesman. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.