Stephen Crabb


In the CCF I met Christians who, like me, were deeply concerned about the challenges facing young people growing up in communities scarred by family breakdown, crime and failing schools."
- STEPHEN CRABB has a passionate commitment to social justice issues and stood for Parliament in 2001; achieving the biggest swing to the party in Wales.

I joined my local Conservative Association shortly before the General Election in 1997.

For nearly two years I had been living in inner city south London where I worked two evenings a week as a volunteer at a Christian youth project. During the day I worked at the House of Commons as an MP's researcher.

While working in Parliament I came into contact with the Conservative Christian Fellowship. In the CCF I met Christians who, like me, were deeply concerned about the challenges facing young people growing up in communities scarred by family breakdown, crime and failing schools. These issues are regularly discussed and illuminated in the CCF magazine and at CCF events.

The CCF provided me with my first direct involvement in a party and opened my eyes to the practical opportunities facing Christians who want to contribute to political life. Later on I joined my local party association and was given the opportunity to serve as a school governor.

I soon developed a more active interest in the running of the Borough and in 1998 I stood in the local elections. Although fighting a solidly Labour ward, I felt passionately that we in the Conservative Party should be able to communicate our belief in strong family and community life even in the toughest of areas - the very places where state interference has failed the most.

Earlier this year I returned to the constituency in West Wales where I grew up to stand as the Conservative parliamentary candidate. Although unsuccessful, we made a significant dent in the Labour majority and I was grateful for the CCF members who travelled down to Wales to assist me in the campaign.

Over the last five years the CCF has been an enormous source of encouragement and support for my wife and I as we have taken our first steps in politics.

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