With less than two weeks to go until the London Local Elections, we continue to report on the best… and the worst of the campaigns across the capital.
Merton Bailout
The old saying goes that “no publicity is bad publicity”. However, the news this week that Labour-run Merton has been bailed out to the tune of £28.8 million for a shortfall in education funding comes at the worst possible time.
Financial problems are a growing problem across London, with Croydon the most notable example, but do voters even notice? Merton Labour will be hoping this doesn’t cut through and that their postal voters have been quick off the mark in returning their ballots.
Hillingdon Labour Leader predicting it’s ‘very, very close’ for his Party in local elections
The Labour Party in Hillingdon came out swinging this week with Labour Leader Peter Curling summing up his parties chances as “I think it’s going to be very close, either just win or just lose…whoever wins is going to be just there by a fraction”:
Today our group leader @PeterCurling spoke to ITV News about the Hillingdon council elections, and *once again* the Hillingdon Conservatives refused to engage with a journalist, this time about the behaviour of their own party leader and local MP. pic.twitter.com/ZjgXgbfxH3
— Hillingdon Labour (@HillingdonLab) April 19, 2022
The Conservatives currently have twice as many seats as Labour on the Council, so it would be quite the result for Labour to claw back this deficit and take control. Although boundary changes favour Labour in Hillingdon, politicians on the ground do not always have the best track record in calling the mood on the ground.
Back in 2018, Cllr Curling predicted on Labour List “there is a feeling on the ground that Labour could finally take back control (of the Council)”. Not long after, the Tories won a thumping victory and Labour lost seats.
Tower Hamlets Mayoral hopeful Lutfur Rahman endorsed by former U. S Presidential Candidate
Yes, you are reading that correct. In a rather bizarre twist in the Tower Hamlets mayoral race one of the front runners has been issuing leaflets with an endorsement from the Rev Jesse Jackson.
As a former two-time contender in the democratic primaries in 1984 and 1988, his endorsement comes alongside positive words from Ken Livingstone and Lilian from Tower Hamlets. This has to be the most surprising endorsement of this election cycle.
Former Mayor Ken Livingstone is backing Lutfur all the way and launched his campaign saying he’d ‘trust him with his life’ you can replay that launch here:
