Ardern joined the Labour Party at the age of 17 and became a senior figure in the Young Labour party of the party. After graduating from university, she spent time working in the offices of Phil Goff and of Helen Clark as a researcher. She volunteered at a soup kitchen in New York City in the United States and worked on a workers' rights campaign. Ardern moved to London, England where she became a senior policy adviser for British prime minister Tony Blair. Ardern also worked at the Home Office to help with a review of policing in England and Wales.