New Croydon East MP Natasha Irons vows to ‘put young people first’

Labor continued its winning ways by winning the new seat of Croydon East with Natasha Irons as its first MP. The seat was created following the 2023 boundary changes and occupies part of the former Croydon Central constituency.

The former Merton councilor won the seat with 18,541 votes and a majority of 6,825. Asked for his thoughts on the historic win and the six-week campaign, Irons told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I feel incredibly lucky, privileged and honored to be Croydon East’s first MP. journey and now we are back in the service of working people”.

“You really felt the desire, the passion and the hope for change that we have in this country. People want to see another Britain, they want to see Britain back on its feet and I feel that Keir Starmer’s Labor party is back. that position.”

LIVE: London general election results as Labor takes Barnet seat for first time the party has won a majority

Irons was Cabinet Member for Local Environment, Green Spaces and Climate Change at neighboring Merton Council until her resignation. Asked about her priorities as MP for Croydon East, she told the LDRS she would “put young people at the fore”.

She added: “We need to make sure we can give them the opportunities they deserve, help them flourish and thrive and tackle some of the biggest issues and challenges they face. The youngest borough of Croydon in London, which means we have challenges. , yes, but the biggest opportunities possible. I think Croydon could be an important example of what it means to be a young person in this country and I love being the person to lead that.”

Although the results came in earlier than expected at around 4am, Irons admitted it had been a long night. She told MyLondon that she plans to celebrate with “a few hours of sleep and maybe a rosé spritzer with plenty of ice.” Irons’ main challenger was the Conservatives’ Jason Cummings, who amassed 11,716 votes. Cummings, who is also Croydon Council’s cabinet member for finance.

Speaking before the result was revealed, Cummings told the LDRS that he had spent most of the campaign supporting Chris Philp in his fight to hold on to Croydon South. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even visited the constituency a day before the election to drum up support.

Philp managed to retain his Croydon South seat with a majority of 2,313. Also in Croydon East was Croydon political veteran and former Croydon Central MP Andrew Pelling. Pelling stood for the Lib Dems in his 17th election as a candidate.

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