Today I was delighted to be one of 11 London MPs supporting Oona King in her campaign to become our Labour candidate for mayor of London.
I’m supporting Oona because she is the best and brightest hope for Labour, for the future and for London. She is a candidate who can rightfully claim to represent the capital in all its diversity. And if elected, she would be the first woman to hold that position. She is someone who represents the new politics we need to embrace. She’ll listen, not harangue; she’ll respond to ordinary Londoners’ needs and aspirations, not to sectional interest and she’ll deliver on the issues that really matter to Londoners, not focus on the narrow politically fashionable debates.
As a former London MP who represented one of the most deprived constituencies in the capital, Oona understands the scale and urgency of the problems we have to tackle. When I worked with her in parliament, she was a tireless campaigner on issues like affordable housing, poverty and inequality. We need a really radical rethink on how we tackle current issues in a new context. For instance, how can we ensure more good housing at a price people can afford in an era when public resources will be constrained? Oona has the energy and intellect to develop new innovative ideas to do this, as well as the ability to bring together different communities and organisations to shape policy.
I know that Oona is also really committed to reconnecting the mayoralty with people in the outer London boroughs who for too long have felt neglected. The failure to connect with communities in the outer boroughs has been a real weakness and it would also be fatal to Labour’s chances of taking back City Hall to make this mistake again.
I’ve known Oona for many years and the qualities that make her a good friend, a great communicator, a fantastic local MP and yet a real person would also make her a fantastic mayor. She was an exceptionally hard-working MP whose warmth and empathy enabled her to establish a real connection with her constituents. She is someone who listens and who brings people together.
We don’t want a rerun of the 2008 election – and neither do Londoners. Oona’s campaign is about the future, not the past. I believe she has what it takes to reclaim City Hall for Labour and to be a mayor for all of London.
Oona’s poor electoral performance should be enough to convince Labour members that she is not the best candidate to run. She secured in 2005 less support than Labour achieved elsewhere in London ie she underperforms relative to Labour. Labour needs a candidate who can achieve Labour’s level support and get more votes (not less). At last night’s hustings in Ilford North Oona said she would ‘consider’ building on green belt land, whilst Ken Livingstone confirmed his opposition to building on the green belt. Oona’s position on the greenbelt is hardly going to help bring outer London voters to Labour.
Whilst I think its useful to have a contest for the nominatuion I dont think that King’s bid is credible at all. Compared to Ken she is a lightweight and very bland having towed the party for most of her life – in this job you do need to be a character, not afraid to be outspoken and have slightly off the wall views, even eccentricities. It is not a job for failed Westminster politicians. Most of all you need to have a media presence and I fear that Oona just doesnt do it. I think we need to look around for someone else to carry the Labour nomination for the 2016 contest because Ken is the only one who can beat boris of the current lot. We need to identify and develop some strong charismatic characters so that we have a replacement for when Ken retires.
It is clear that neither candidate is credible. And is it really true that there is nobody else who could be a candidate? On present trends neither will win against Boris. Both Ken and King were all things to all people and both had complete contempt for the Labour core vote. THey indulged themselves with slogans about diversity while London became a more divided and embittered city. That is why they are destined to go down to well deserved defeat.
it’s whether Boris stands again he may not, may have other things in his sights. But Oona was tubthumpingly good at Compass conference and charmed and wowed the floor. I think she can win over London and she has shown she has a grip on policy. Once she lays her policy out and makes it her own then I think that will come across.