Morton promises to campaign for protection of function, city architects in local authorities and better procurement
Bell Phillips director Jay Morton has announced her bid to run for RIBA president this summer, promising to campaign for a stronger voice for the architecture profession in government.
Morton said she will “get architects back in the room where decisions are made”, strengthening RIBA’s influence within government, mayors and industry.
Her presidential bid comes seven years after Morton stood as the Labour candidate for Parliament for Chichester in the 2019 general election, winning 15% of the vote.
An active Labour campaigner, Morton said she combines architectural practice with over a decade in politics at local and national level including leading national housing campaigns and standing as a local councillor.
“I understand how decisions are made, how to influence them, and how to get things done,” Morton said yesterday in her campaign announcement on LinkedIn.
She is pledging to ensure the profession shapes policy on housing, planning and growth, call for the creation of a national taskforce to drive cross-industry action on sustainability and innovation and reform procurement to deliver better quality and value.
Morton also wants to protect the function of the architect to reinforce the profession’s “role, responsibility and value, particularly in relation to building safety”, echoing similar calls by current RIBA president Chris Williamson.
Also on Morton’s agenda is installing city architects under every regional and city mayor to embed design leadership and to drive “long-term vision, coordination and quality”.
Morton has worked at Bell Phillips since 2012 and has been a director since 2024. She also sits on the design review panels for Croydon, Ealing and Islington councils.
Nominations for this year’s presidential election opened on 1 April and will close next Wednesday 15 April. Voting will open on 15 June and close on 26 June.
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