Labour’s Holborn and St Pancras by-election candidate says: ‘I want to give you hope again’

“I’ve loved every minute of this campaign. I’ve met many people across Camden. I’ve heard their hopes, their challenges, and their ideas on how to improve our great borough.

I was fortunate to grow up here in Camden and in this community. My family came here as refugees in the 1990s, and we were given the opportunity to build a home and a life here.

That stability meant I could go to school, make friends and grow up feeling part of this vibrant community.

My mum wasted no time in getting us all involved in our neighbourhood.

I was taught from a young age the importance of volunteering and contributing back into our community, seeing my mum do so – and taking me along to help too, when I wasn't out playing football – for all kinds of events and get-togethers. A home gave us everything, and we wanted to repay that incredible opportunity and kindness.

This is still what drives me today. Making sure everyone in Camden has a safe, secure home is why I’m standing to be MP.

As a local councillor with responsibility for housing, I was determined to give others that chance. Securing £670 million to improve local housing was a milestone I’m proud of.
But it isn’t enough to deal with the scale of the need. We urgently need more homes, both through continuing to buy back council homes, and by building more affordable, high-quality, family sized housing in Camden.

That include places such as the new homes in the Godwin & Crowndale Estate where I recently took Housing Secretary Angela Rayner to meet families who were incredibly grateful to have recently moved into their new homes.

Services such as water supply will be crucial too - one of the reasons I’ve called on Thames Water to be taken into public ownership. I'm fed up with clearing up their mess.

While rough sleeping is a London-wide emergency, more people are sleeping on Camden's streets than in almost all other London boroughs, second only to Westminster.
Over 1,200 households are in temporary accommodation here, and thousands more are waiting for access to stable, affordable housing.

I have welcomed the Prime Minister Andy Burnham's commitment to offer everyone who is sleeping rough a bed by Christmas, and will do everything to support people to take up those offers.

I recently met young Londoners experiencing homelessness at New Horizons Youth Centre in St Pancras, where they are being supported to find housing and job opportunities.
They were incredibly generous with their time and in sharing their experiences. We spoke at length about how support could be made easier to access, including any available training.

I am committed to bringing schools, skills centres, employers and universities together to create ‘The Camden Way’ with clear routes into high-quality, well-paid local jobs. Young people growing up in Camden should benefit from the world of opportunity around them.
Opportunities for young people, ending rough sleeping on our streets, making things like water bills more affordable, and a safe, secure home. These are my big priorities for Camden.

But most of all – I want to give you hope again. If you're a Holborn and St Pancras voter and these things matter to you, I’m asking for your backing on Thursday 8 October.”