Why I'm standing in Romford

Romford is my home. I was born here and have lived here most of my life. In that time I have kept a close eye on politics in Romford.

Quite frankly, the politics of Romford worries me. For those who are less familiar with the political climate in Romford, it is largely dominated by the Tories. This has been the case for a number of years.

The Tories in Romford have maintained their dominance through a strategy of divisive tactics and scaremongering politics.

Over the last decade in Romford we have seen the Tories anti-immigrant rhetoric grow more and more extreme. We have seen leaflets proclaiming ‘British jobs for British workers’, promises to cut immigration by 75% and references to ‘floodgates’ being opened which look like they have been taken straight from Enoch Powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ speech.

This constant rhetoric has created a worrying environment in Romford, one in which the far-right are flourishing. In every general election the BNP, UKIP and the English Democrats have stood for in Romford they have increased their vote share. At the 2010 general election (before UKIP’s surge) the combined vote share of the BNP, UKIP and English Democrats was over 10%. That means that over 10% of people in Romford were voting for a party further to the right than the Romford Tories!

Having knocked on thousands of Romford doors over the last year I have spoken to many people who do not feel this Tory far-right rhetoric represents them. I have also spoken with mosques and churches who are worried about the environment the Tories are fostering in Romford.

These people can see that the problems we are facing today are not caused by the people who come to Britain to offer their skills and to make a better life.

We in Romford have thousands living in fuel poverty, thousands of young people who can’t afford their own homes and an ever increasing number of people forced to use food banks. These are the real problems that we face today. These are the people I want to stand up for. These are the problems I want to help tackle.

Despite what the Tories in Romford will have you believe, these problems are not caused by immigrants. Blaming these problems on immigration is not going to help those who are being hurt by the cost of living crisis.

I've decided to stand in Romford because I want to give a voice to the many who do not feel represented by this far-right Tory rhetoric.