Tagged with London Mayor

Labour needs internal democracy to win in London

Sadiq Khan LONDON MAYORWith campaigning kicking off for the London Mayoral Election it would be easy to forget that Labour’s manifesto is yet to be written. We can all see that winning in London requires a strong set of policies which deal with the issues facing Londoners, particularly housing and transport.

As Labour Party members, we understand that good ideas do not come from individuals alone but from discussion, debate and democracy. This means that the best way to ensure that we get the radical manifesto we need is through a genuinely open and democratic policy-making process within the London Labour Party. Labour’s members are its links to communities across the capital and the stronger the voice they have, the more likely it is that we will get the manifesto we need. Continue reading →

CLPD recommends first preference for Diane Abbott, second for Sadiq Khan

Diane for MayorThe London Labour Party is selecting its candidate to fight next May’s London Mayoral election. The ballot will take place alongside the leadership contest, from 14 August to 10 September. The position of London Mayor has important powers in the areas of transport, fire services, planning, policing and the environment. The Mayor also champions the interests of London with a significant campaigning platform. So London Labour is selecting someone to run and improve the capital’s services, who will speak up for London and challenge Tory policies.

The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) is wholeheartedly backing Diane Abbott as the main centre-left candidate in this contest. She opposes the government’s austerity proposals and is one the few Labour MPs who voted against the Tories’ Budget Responsibility Charter which requires a further £30bn cut to public services. Continue reading →

Can you blame Sadiq Khan for wanting his cake and eating it?

Sadiq Khan facing two waysSadiq Khan was a former radical human rights lawyer and doing a good job as shadow secretary for justice when he also became shadow minister for London, and responsible for running the general election campaign in London. Perhaps it is too much to expect any politician who wants to be London’s mayor to turn down such an opportunity just because it would give an unfair advantage.

But if you take the opportunity and are the approved candidate of your party’s still-well-oiled political machine, you might choose to get someone else to deliver lectures to other candidates for mayor about focussing on the general election campaign rather than diverting resources from it. But not if you’re Sadiq Khan. Is that honest, or foolish? Continue reading →

London Labour conference exposes democratic deficit

London Labour Biannual Conferemce 2013The London Labour Party conference meeting on Sunday revealed a serious democracy deficit within the London party.  Ed Miliband promised to make Labour “a living breathing party of which people are proud to say they are members and proud to call their own.” He promised that members should have more say in policy making. It’s about time it happened in London.

Eighteen months from the election for London’s Mayor and Assembly and there was no place on the agenda for discussing the policies on which London Labour will fight that election, nor even a process for deciding it. It is said that there will be a conference next year which will do so, but on what basis? Unlike in Scotland and Wales, there is no London policy forum and so far, no plans to create one. Continue reading →

Diane Abbott is Labour voters’ choice for London Mayor says YouGov

DIANE AbbottIn a YouGov poll for the London Evening Standard today, Diane Abbott emerges as Labour voters top choice for London Mayor with 29%, beating Tessa Jowell who topped a similar poll eight months ago but now has 24% (figures exclude don’t knows and those without preference). Sadiq Khan who is said to be Ed Miliband’s preferred candidate (hence his additional Shadow Cabinet responsibility as ‘shadow Minister for London’) emerges in fourth place with a disappointing 14%, behind David Lammy.

Although there is a year before the campaign will seriously get underway (and voting not until Autumn 2015), this does seem to consolidate Diane Abbott’s position as the candidate of the left. She was the keynote speaker at the London political conference of Unite the Union ten days ago and has strong support for their backing in the election. Continue reading →