Josh Babarinde Explained

Josh Babarinde
Parliament:United Kingdom
Constituency Mp:Eastbourne
Term Start:4 July 2024
Predecessor:Caroline Ansell
Majority:12,204 (26.8%)
Office1:Member of Eastbourne Borough Council for Hampden Park
Term Start1:6 May 2021
Term End1:8 May 2023
Birth Name:Joshua Thomas Aderele Babarinde
Birth Date:20 June 1993
Birth Place:Eastbourne, East Sussex, England
Party:Liberal Democrats
Alma Mater:London School of Economics

Joshua Thomas Aderele Babarinde (born 20 June 1993) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and social entrepreneur who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastbourne since 2024.

Early life and education

Joshua Thomas Aderele Babarinde was born in 1993 at the Eastbourne District General Hospital.[1] He studied at East Sussex College between 2009 and 2011, and went on to study politics and government at the London School of Economics.[2]

Career

After graduation, Babarinde won a place on the social enterprise fellowship Year Here.[3] During this time he volunteered as a youth worker in East London, working with young people to find an alternative path to crime and gang violence. Inspired by this experience he founded Cracked It, a social enterprise offering smart phone repair services provided by youth at risk and young ex-offenders.[4] [5] Cracked It was the recipient of "Social Enterprise of the Year" awards by both the Centre for Social Justice[6] and the Evening Standard.[7]

Babarinde has won numerous accolades for his social entrepreneurship achievements, including a Shackleton Award[8] and a Winston Churchill Fellowship.[9] In 2019, he was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list of social entrepreneurs.[10] Babarinde went on to work as Head of Learning and Innovation at the School for Social Entrepreneurs in 2020. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for his services to criminal justice, social enterprise and the economy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Babarinde was trained by St John Ambulance to serve as a volunteer COVID-19 vaccinator in Eastbourne.[11]

He is a trustee of the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne.[12]

Political career

During the 2019 general election, Babarinde stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow, coming in third place.

Babarinde won a by-election to Eastbourne Borough Council in the ward of Hampden Park on 6 May 2021.[13] [14] [15] He stood down as a councillor at the 2023 council election to focus on his parliamentary election campaign.[16]

In 2022, Babarinde contributed a chapter to The Battle for Liberal Britain, a book edited by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, in which he proposed to re-envision council estates as business incubators.[17]

Babarinde ran for Parliament in the 2024 general election in his hometown of Eastbourne, aiming to unseat Conservative MP Caroline Ansell, who had been one of his school teachers.[18] He was elected with a majority of over 12,000.[19]

Personal life

Babarinde is gay.[20]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Josh Babarinde's statement to voters . Who Can I Vote For? . 15 June 2024 . 5 July 2024 . en.
  2. Web site: OBE for ESC alumni . East Sussex College . 18 December 2020 . 5 July 2024 . en.
  3. Web site: Josh Babarinde 2015 . Vimeo . 31 January 2016 . 21 July 2024.
  4. Web site: Purdy . Lucy . Social entrepreneurs are fired up to tackle injustice . Positive News . 19 February 2019 . 5 July 2024 . en.
  5. Web site: MacKenzie . Stephen . Diversity boils down to a life or death issue . Big Issue . 27 August 2020 . 5 July 2024 . en.
  6. News: Ratcliffe . Rebecca . Top social justice award for Cracked It smartphone project . The Guardian . 17 March 2018 . 21 July 2024 . en.
  7. News: Lynch . Russell . Evening Standard Business Awards 2019: Keeping the highest standards . The Standard . 1 July 2019 . 21 July 2024 . en.
  8. Web site: Smith . Olwen . Fighting Crime, One Cracked iPhone at a Time . tbd* . 29 October 2017 . 21 July 2024 . en.
  9. Web site: Josh Babarinde . Churchill Fellowship . 21 July 2024 . en.
  10. Web site: Social Entrepreneurs, Forbes 30 under 30 . Forbes . 12 February 2019 . 21 July 2024 . en.
  11. News: Lindsey . Peter . Eastbourne's Josh Babarinde OBE qualifies as Covid-19 Vaccinator . Bournefreelive . 17 February 2021 . 21 July 2024 . en.
  12. Web site: Two new Trustees appointed to the Towner Board . Towner Eastbourne . 13 July 2022 . 21 July 2024 .
  13. News: Lindsey . Peter . Josh Babarinde wins Hampden Park By-election . 7 May 2021 . Bournefreelive . 21 July 2024 . en.
  14. Web site: Election of Councillor . Eastbourne Borough Council . 21 July 2024.
  15. Web site: Councillor Josh Babarinde OBE . Eastbourne Borough Council . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329094751/http://democracy.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=846 . 29 March 2023.
  16. News: Panons . Jacob . Eastbourne councillor to step down to focus on MP race . 6 April 2023 . Sussex World . 21 July 2024 . en.
  17. Web site: Davey . Ed . Ed Davey: The Battle for Liberal Britain . Lib Dem Voice . 3 March 2022 . 21 July 2024 . en.
  18. Web site: Harding . Thomas . 2024-06-10 . Lib Dems' manifesto puts candidates in position to tear down Tory blue wall . 2024-07-06 . The National . en.
  19. Web site: Eastbourne results . BBC . 5 July 2024 . 21 July 2024.
  20. Web site: Reynolds . Andrew . Number of out LGBTQ+ MPs falls following election – but Labour has a reason to be proud . 5 July 2024 . PinkNews . 21 July 2024 . en.