Yes we Ken

On Wednesday night I joined 80 volunteers at Labour party HQ – all there to take part in the Ken4London phonebank – or ‘Kenvassing’, as the regulars call it.

What struck me was not only the sheer number of volunteers who had turned out on a cold miserable night, but also the range of people there. In fact, the mix of volunteers taking part was as diverse as London itself:  young and old, new or long-standing members, phonebank first-timers and regulars who have been turning out every week over the last year.  Volunteers were from different walks of life and different corners of the capital – Ilford, Croydon, Enfield, Ealing, Camden, Streatham, Hackney, Hammersmith and more were all represented by enthusiastic volunteers. And of course I was pleased to see volunteers from Tooting doing their bit.

Yet, impressive and diverse as the phonebank undoubtedly is, it’s also unsurprising that there is such enthusiasm for it.  Tory Mayor Boris Johnson has hiked Londoners’ travel fares whilst simultaneously slashing police numbers – what better motivation for labour members to take action?  Like me, our volunteers are passionate about ensuring London has the leadership that it deserves, with a mayor on the side of ordinary Londoners, standing up for our city.  And it was exactly these bread and butter issues of transport and crime that phone-bankers told me voters across London were raising as their big concerns.

As a born and bred Londoner, having lived in my Tooting constituency all my life, I know that Ken has always been in it for London, and will always put Londoners first. His agenda couldn’t be more different to that of out-of-touch Boris Johnson.

That’s the message we need to get over to the thousands of Londoners that the phonebank is reaching.  The Ken4London phonebank runs from 6-8pm every Wednesday and Thursday at Victoria Street, with more information and sign-up available at www.yourken.org . At every session training is on hand to show new faces the ropes. I urge everyone to take a trip to the phonebank and let voters from Bromley to Barnet know about the clear choice they face at the polls next year.

As a wise man once said, Yes We Ken.