London’s future, not London’s past: The only way to win in 2012

By Wes Streeting / @wesstreeting

Last Friday, I spent the afternoon campaigning with Oona King. Or, more accurately, Oona spent the afternoon campaigning for me. I’m currently contesting the by-election in my home ward: Chadwell, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It’s one of those areas that Labour needs to win to beat Boris in 2012 and I believe that Oona is the candidate to do it.

Our canvassing session with Ilford South’s Labour MP, Mike Gapes, was the second time I’ve been canvassing with Oona in the past month. The last occasion was in the Haverstock by-election in Camden, where Oona had dragged me out to campaign in the ward that housed the school she attended as a child and where she ended up launching her bid for Labour’s mayoral nomination.

What was striking about last week’s canvassing session was that she was in her element just as much knocking on terraced doors in Chadwell Heath in outer London as she was knocking up council flats in Camden in central London.

This quality – an ability to appeal to voters in every part of London – will be essential to beating Boris. In 2008, Labour’s vote held strong in the centre of London, but Labour was trounced in outer London boroughs. In Havering and Redbridge, Ken trailed Boris significantly on first preferences with Boris racking up 52.78% of the vote to Ken’s 27.76% and also fell behind on second preferences on 11.41% to Boris’ 14.13%.

It is fair to say that Havering and Redbridge will never be great strongholds for Labour, but the past thirteen years have witnessed a Labour vote that is there to be fought for and won. In 2008, we failed to do just that with a candidate who was repeatedly hit in opposition literature as the ‘Zone 1 mayor’ and, on a daily basis, by a relentless onslaught by the Evening Standard. The Standard may not be the favoured paper of card carrying members of the Labour Party, but it is the favoured read of commuters venturing home from Liverpool Street station every evening.

I’m not backing Oona because I’m ‘anti Ken’; much to the bemusement of some of my comrades from Labour Students I once let my membership lapse to campaign for Ken when he stood independently in 2000. This time (and having long since ended my subscription to Socialist Campaign Group News!) I’m backing Oona because I want to see Labour win in 2012 so that we have a Mayor for London who can implement measures that tackle the mind boggling inequalities of one of the richest cities on Earth.

Between now and 2012 it will take more than the charm I witnessed on the doorstep a couple of times in the past month for Oona to win Labour’s nomination and win the mayoralty. But I believe she’s got what it takes. She understands the capital in all its diversity having grown up in the north, with family in the south, represented and worked in the east and worked in the west. She may not be able to knock on every door in London, but her presence and profile in the media will be the antidote to bumbling Boris as a straight talking, fresh thinking woman.

And contrary to claims that she’s a lightweight, Oona has proven herself to be a policy heavyweight when it comes to campaigning for changes to tackle poverty and inequality, from restricting the massive discounts created by the Tories to sell off council housing under the ‘right to buy’ scheme to outlawing the compulsory competitive tendering for local authorities that saw wages slashed and benefits cut.

I thought it telling that the most recent article by Veronica King in favour of Ken focused on Ken’s stance on Iraq, Afghanistan and top-up fees.

Having already set out an ambitious vision for London’s housing, I’m confident that in the coming weeks Oona King will set out her campaigning vision for London’s future, not Labour’s past. It is the only way Labour can win in 2012.

Wes Streeting is Labour’s Council Candidate in the Chadwell by-election in Redbridge on July 8th and is the former President of the National Union of Students. If you would like to join Wes on the campaign trail in the run up to polling day e-mail [email protected] or ring him on 07738 477 353.