The UK's longest-serving transgender prisoner is planning to run for office in Richmond Park, making her the UK's first trans MP if she won.

Sarah Jane Baker is an activist, artist, author and sex-worker, and is building a platform to run as an independent candidate against Liberal Democrat incumbent Sarah Olney. She lives in Kew.

Baker was released from prison in 2019 after serving 30 years of a life-sentence in male prisons. She regularly faces transphobic abuse and violence.

Baker told South West Londoner: "I want real legal protection for transgender people, not just police arriving to tell you they're sorry these things happen.

"If I stick my head above the parapet people are going to shoot at me. But the only power we've got is the law, we have to make the law work for us.

"I need to get on the inside and affect policy.

"People need someone who isn't rich and has no skin in the game."

Baker's main policies include:

- releasing all pregnant people from prison

- immediate ring-fenced 15% pay rise for NHS staff

- free transport for people on benefits.

She is also supporting free non-means-tested university education for all, lockable bins to prevent fox raids, a tightening of environmental laws to protect green spaces, and an increase in social care for people with mental health and addiction problems that have spiked during the pandemic.

She has spoken at protests for London Rent Strike, HS2 Rebellion, Kill The Bill, Trans Pride, and Night Pride.

She said: "Prison makes you think about community. People want change but they don't know how to make it.

"The scariest thing to me would be nothing changing."

Read the full article by Pol Allingham over on [l]https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/12042021-uks-longest-serving-transgender-prisoner-to-run-for-richmond-park-mp/[l+]South West Londoner