Clare Moody

Clare Miranda Moody was born on 30 October 1965 in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire to Joan and Raymond Moody.{{cite web |title=Clare MOODY |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124944/CLARE_MOODY_home.html |work=Europa |publisher=European Parliament |access-date=6 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715190119/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124944/CLARE_MOODY_home.html |archive-date=15 July 2014}}{{cite web |url=https://www.thebridgeburford.co.uk/BridgeInterviews/2016-12 |title=Interview: Raymond & Joan Moody |website=The Bridge Magazine |date=December 2017 |access-date=11 October 2023}} Brought up in Burford, her father served as town mayor and both her parents were Conservative Party activists.{{cite news |url=http://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/164523/Tory-roots-of-Brown-s-aide-Clare-Moody |title=Tory roots of Brown's aide Clare Moody |author=Sarah O'Grady |newspaper=Daily Express |date=22 March 2010 |accessdate=26 May 2014}}

Moody trained as a secretary. Later she studied industrial relations at the University of Kent and began her career in trade unionism at the Banking, Insurance and Finance Union (BIFU).{{cite web |url=https://hersalisburystory.com/stories/clare-moody/ |title=Clare Moody |website=Her Salisbury Story |access-date=30 June 2022}} BIFU went through several amalgamations to become UNIFI, Amicus, and later Unite, where she worked as a regional officer in Bournemouth.{{cite web |url=http://www.unitetheunion.org/how-we-help/listofregions/southwest/contactus/ |title=Contact us - Unite in the South West |publisher=Unite the Union |access-date=26 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527211836/http://www.unitetheunion.org/how-we-help/listofregions/southwest/contactus/ |archive-date=27 May 2014}}

Moody worked in the Number 10 Policy Unit under Prime Minister Gordon Brown.{{Cite news |date=2014-05-12 |title=European elections 2014: Labour aim to get back on South West map |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-27364809 |access-date=2022-06-12}} She was the Labour candidate for Salisbury, a safe Conservative seat, at the 2005 general election. Moody also stood to become the inaugural Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner,{{cite news |date=1 June 2012 |title=Union boss throws hat in ring for police post |newspaper=The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald |url=http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/towns/wiltshire/9734927.Union_boss_throws_hat_in_ring_for_police_post/ |accessdate=26 May 2014}} reaching the second round as Labour's candidate in the 2012 election.{{cite news |date=16 November 2012 |title=Wiltshire police and crime commissioner results |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-19495666 |accessdate=26 May 2014}}

File:05-Mayo-17 Visita Claire Moody (31) (34309885242).jpg in 2017]]

Moody unsuccessfully contested South West England in the 2004 European Parliament election, in fourth position on the Labour Party list. However, she was elected as a Member of European Parliament for the region in the May 2014 elections, now placed as the lead list candidate.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu-regions/E15000009 |title=vote 2014 - South West |publisher=BBC |accessdate=26 May 2014}}

During her tenure in the European Parliament, Moody served as vice-chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. She has also been a member of the Budget, Foreign Affairs, Industry, Research and Energy, and Women's Rights committees.{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124944/CLARE_MOODY/home |title=Clare MOODY |work=Europa |publisher=European Parliament |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521021939/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124944/CLARE_MOODY/home |archive-date=21 May 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/articles/opinion/uk-must-remain-defence-player |title=UK must remain a defence player |last=Moody |first=Clare |website=The Parliament Magazine |publisher=Dods |date=27 November 2018 |accessdate=6 April 2019}}{{cite web |url=http://www.eurolabour.org.uk/clare-moody-mep |title=Clare Moody MEP |publisher=Labour in Europe |accessdate=6 April 2019}}

She was a MEP delegate to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, a group of former Soviet Union state parliaments in Eastern Europe aspiring to closer political and economic ties with the European Union. She was co-chair of the Friends of Georgia group, and worked on the EU-Georgia Association Agreement through her Foreign Affairs committee membership.{{cite news |url=http://agenda.ge/en/news/2018/2394 |title=MEP calls Georgia a star of the region for commitment to European values |website=Agenda.ge |date=14 November 2018 |accessdate=6 April 2019}}{{cite news |last=Moody |first=Clare |date=29 January 2019 |title=With Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia leads the way, again |website=EURACTIV |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/europe-s-east/opinion/with-salome-zurabishvili-georgia-leads-the-way-again/ |accessdate=6 April 2019}} Moody voted in favour of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market in 2019, despite concerns that the legislation enforced censorship on EU internet users.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/20/eu-votes-for-copyright-law-that-would-make-internet-a-tool-for-control |title=EU votes for copyright law that would make internet a 'tool for control' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=20 June 2018 |accessdate=26 March 2019}}

Moody lost her seat in the 2019 European Parliament election, when no Labour candidate was returned in South West England.

Moody was appointed Political Director at public relations company Grayling in 2019, a subsidiary of Huntsworth, where she later became Senior Strategic Director.{{cite web |title=Welcome to Grayling Brussels PA |url=https://grayling.com/our-offices/brussels-pa/ |access-date=5 November 2021 |website=Grayling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921223638/https://grayling.com/our-offices/brussels-pa/ |archive-date=21 September 2021}}{{cite web |date=28 April 2021 |title=Grayling's report on how politicians across Europe are using social media |url=http://bpcc.org.pl/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/19242/GPol_-_European_survey_of_SM_use_amongst_MPs__Poland_highlighted_.pdf |access-date=5 November 2021 |work=Grayling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105012249/http://bpcc.org.pl/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/19242/GPol_-_European_survey_of_SM_use_amongst_MPs__Poland_highlighted_.pdf |archive-date=5 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Healthcare |url=https://grayling.com/what-we-do/healthcare/ |access-date=5 November 2021 |website=Grayling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525233538/https://grayling.com/what-we-do/healthcare/ |archive-date=25 May 2022}} In 2021, she was appointed co-CEO of the human rights and equality charity Equally Ours.{{cite news |url=https://stroudtimes.com/former-mep-clare-moody-throws-hat-into-the-ring-for-stroud-labour-seat/ |title=Former MEP Clare Moody throws hat into the ring for Stroud Labour seat |last=Loveridge |first=Ashley |website=Stroud Times |date=9 June 2022 |access-date=5 July 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.equallyours.org.uk/about-us/our-team/ |title=Our team |website=Equally Ours |access-date=30 June 2022}}

In 2022, Moody unsuccessfully stood to become the Labour Parliamentary candidate for Stroud.{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Heather |date=1 July 2022 |title=Starmer allies reject claims leftwingers blocked from standing for Labour |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/01/starmer-allies-reject-claims-leftwingers-blocked-from-standing-for-labour |access-date=5 July 2022 |newspaper=The Guardian}} She was later selected as the Labour candidate for the 2024 Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner election.{{cite news |url=https://midsomernorton.nub.news/news/local-news/new-police-cuts-tories-demand-ps8-million-more-from-local-taxpayers-in-return-for-200-fewer-police-says-labour-pcc-candidate-221928 |title=New police cuts: Tories demand £8 million more from local taxpayers in return for 200 fewer police says Labour PCC candidate |website=Midsomer Norton and Radstock Nub News |date=26 February 2024 |access-date=12 March 2024}}

Moody was elected Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner for the Labour and Co-operative Party on 3 May 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.avonpccelection.org.uk/election-count-2024 |title=Election count 2024 |website=Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Election |publisher=Bath and North East Somerset Council |date=3 May 2024 |access-date=3 May 2024}}{{cite web |title=Residents of Avon and Somerset elect Clare Moody as their Police and Crime Commissioner |url=https://www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk/news/2024/05/residents-of-avon-and-somerset-elect-clare-moody-as-their-police-and-crime-commissioner/ |website=Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner |publisher=Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset |access-date=3 May 2024}}

Moody supported the remain campaign in the 2016 EU membership referendum,{{cite news |date=2 February 2016 |title=Should we stay in the EU? MEP Clare Moody will say 'yes' at a Taunton meeting |newspaper=Somerset County Gazette |url=http://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/14247291.Should_we_stay_in_the_EU__MEP_Clare_Moody_will_say__yes__at_a_Taunton_meeting/ |accessdate=7 November 2016}} and supported a delay before invoking Article 50 to allow for negotiations post-referendum.{{cite news |date=28 September 2016 |title='Hard Brexit' will 'blow a hole' in the economy, warns Labour MEP |newspaper=The Herald |location=Plymouth |url=http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/hard-brexit-will-blow-a-hole-in-the-economy-warns-labour-mep/story-29759097-detail/story.html |accessdate=7 November 2016}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} She supported Britain staying in the European single market and the Customs Union post-Brexit.{{cite news |url=https://labourlist.org/2017/06/after-mays-election-failure-we-need-to-hit-the-reset-button-on-brexit-negotiations/ |title=After May's election failure, we need to hit the reset button on Brexit negotiations |last=Moody |first=Clare |website=LabourList |date=22 June 2017 |access-date=11 September 2023}} She chaired the Labour Movement for Europe from 2017 to 2019, and campaigned for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal.{{cite news |url=https://labourlist.org/2019/04/23-labour-mep-candidates-sign-public-vote-pledge/ |title=34 Labour MEP candidates sign public vote pledge |last=Rodgers |first=Sienna |website=LabourList |date=29 April 2019 |access-date=7 September 2023}}

In 2018, Moody argued that the EU and UK defence and security relationship should remain close despite Brexit, and that closer European Union–NATO relations would assist in that and reduce wasteful duplication of effort.

She credited the loss of her European Parliamentary seat in 2019 to Labour's Brexit position, arguing that the party needed to adopt a clear pro-EU stance.{{cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Philippa |date=27 May 2019 |title=Former Labour MEP Clare Moody says 'voters have had enough' after losing her seat |website=CornwalLlive |url=https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/former-labour-mep-clare-moody-2912180 |accessdate=15 June 2019}} In 2023, The New European reported that she acknowledged Britain would not rejoin in the next parliament, but believed rejoining "will become a question again. For a growth agenda, we have to fix our relationship with the EU."{{cite news |url=https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/what-britains-meps-did-next/ |title=What Britain's MEPs did next |last=Beckett |first=Francis |website=The New European |date=31 January 2023 |access-date=21 November 2023}}

Moody supported Yvette Cooper in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election.{{Cite web |date=2015-07-10 |title=Unparalleled Ambition for Britain - Why I'm Backing Yvette for Labour Leader |url=https://huffingtonpost.co.uk.trem.media/clare-moody-mep/yvette-cooper-leader_b_7762342.html |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=HuffPost UK |language=en}} During the leadership challenge to Jeremy Corbyn in June 2016, she supported calls for his resignation.{{cite news |date=29 June 2016 |title=South West MEP backs calls for Jeremy Corbyn to stand down |newspaper=The Herald |location=Plymouth |url=http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/south-west-mep-backs-calls-for-jeremy-corbyn-to-stand-down/story-29459466-detail/story.html |accessdate=7 November 2016}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}

Moody has resided in Salisbury, Wiltshire. She has a son.

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Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:Labour Party (UK) MEPs

Category:MEPs for England 2014–2019

Category:21st-century women MEPs for England

Category:Unite the Union

Category:People from Burford

Category:People from Chipping Norton

Category:Politicians from Salisbury

Category:Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates

Category:Alumni of the University of Kent

Category:Labour Party police and crime commissioners

Category:Labour Co-operative police and crime commissioners