Porn director to fight for Westminster seat

An award-winning female porn director has been appointed as a parliamentary hopeful for the Liberal Democrats, it was disclosed today.

Anna Arrowsmith - managing director of adult entertainment company Easy on the Eye Productions - will stand for election in Gravesham, Kent.

Mrs Arrowsmith, who works under the pseudonym Anna Span, started shooting porn films after graduating from Central St Martins in Fine Art (Film & Video) in 1998.

Since then she has directed more than 250 raunchy scenes, and written and photographed a book to guide couples in how to make home-made porn.

Today, the 38-year-old, who is married and lives with her husband Tim and dogs in Groombridge, near Tunbridge Wells, insisted she was ready to win Tory Adam Holloway's seat at the general election.

Mrs Arrowsmith, who also has an MA in philosophy, said she was spurred into standing for election by the MPs' expenses scandal and a belief that women are under-represented in Parliament.

She said: "If people don't know what I do for a living then they would never know. The local party and the local people who I have so far met have seen that I'm very driven.

"I'm not campaigning on behalf of my old industry. I'm campaigning on behalf of the people in the Gravesham area.

"When people get to see me, they will realise that I'm used to project managing and that I'm driven to achieve change rather than just promising it."

Her interest in politics stemmed from her watching Margaret Thatcher during the 1979 general election campaign and willing her to become Britain's first female prime minister.

Mrs Arrowsmith, who was named best director in the 2008 and 2009 UK Adult Film and Television Awards, became involved in porn to make it more accessible to women, she said.

Her first commercially-released programme was on Television X, titled Eat Me/Keep Me, which led to further X-rated shows and her becoming chair of the Adult Industry Trade Association.

On her Twitter site, where she has more than 420 followers, she wrote: "From the adult industry! From porn to Parliament, here I come!"

Describing herself as a keen campaigner for women's rights and anti-censorship issues, she said she has spent 12 years trying to make the adult industry more female-friendly.

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said: "The Liberal Democrats are proud to have candidates throughout the country with a great diversity of backgrounds and life experiences.

"Anna will be a strong candidate for Gravesham, and with her family links to the area we believe she is the best person to bring fairness to local people."