Croydon East general election candidates explain what they will do if elected

Croydon East is one of London’s newest constituencies following boundary changes in 2023. Born out of Sarah Jones’ old Croydon Central constituency, the new East seat was established to better distribute Croydon’s large electorate.

The new constituency includes the boroughs of Addiscombe, New Addington and Addington Village, Selsdon, Selsdon Vale & Forestdale, Shirley and Woodside.

Unlike its Western neighbour, Croydon East has relatively few candidates running on July 4, with a total of five from all the main parties. Here is an alphabetical list of all participating candidates Croydon East and a breakdown of what they stand for in their own words.

Read more: MyLondon’s big general election poll – have your say on London transport, the NHS and the cost of living

Jason Cummings – Tories

“I have lived here in Croydon East for 30 years and many important events in my life have taken place here. We had our wedding on Shirley Hills, my children were born at home in our first house in Selsdon and we brought them up in our current home on the Monks Hill estate. I ran the Co-Op on Central Parade in New Addington and have been a councilor in Shirley for 14 years.

“I want to be a local MP because Croydon matters to me, not Westminster. My current role on the Council is as Finance Lead and I am working with Mayor Perry to repair the damage done by Labor when they bankrupted our borough. Croydon needs a voice in government that understands Croydon’s position and can advocate in detail to achieve a long-term solution to the mountain of debt we now face.

“Other areas of focus are violence against shop workers, during my 20 year career in retail I have even been stabbed by a shoplifter and I know first hand what people deal with every day and also more options and better care for mothers. as they go through having children.

“We were so affected by our shared journey through pregnancy and birth that my wife became an antenatal teacher and I strongly believe that women in particular are not given the care and attention they deserve during these times.

“Voters here in Croydon will not decide who forms the next government but we will decide who represents us locally, I am committed to serving the people of Croydon.”

Scott Holman – Reform Britain

Holman was approached for information but did not respond in time for publication.

The main pledges of the Reform Britain manifesto focus on freezing non-essential immigration, stopping small boats crossing the English Channel, reducing NHS waiting lists, reforming income tax and scrapping net zero to encourage affordable energy bills.

Natasha Irons – Labor Party

“I grew up in Mitcham and am a proud south Londoner. My dad is a bus driver from Croydon and my stepmum grew up on The Lindens in New Addington.

“The security of our first council house gave my family the stability we needed to work hard and build a better future. But I know that the opportunities I had growing up are now the exception and not the rule.

“As your MP, I will tackle crime and its complex causes with Labour’s plan to ban zombie knives, tackle criminal gangs that exploit our children and open youth centers to give our young people access to opportunities on who deserve them.

“We are fighting to protect our high streets from the decline of Croydon town centre, with Labour’s plan to bring back the bobbies, launch banking centers for in-person banking and give communities powers to bring empty shops back into business.

“Be part of a Labor government that will tackle the cost of living and the climate crisis by insulating Britain’s homes and setting up GB Energy – a public renewable energy company.

“This is the first government in history where the standard of living is worse at the end of the term than at the beginning. Our new constituency cannot afford more of the same. It’s time for a change.”

Andrew Pelling – Liberal Democrats

Andrew Pelling is the former MP for Croydon Central, Croydon London Assembly Member and Heathfield Borough Councillor, he was kicked out of the Croydon Labor Party after he blew the whistle on Labor Council governance.

“I think politics in Croydon is different to elsewhere after Labor bankrupted the council. I am contesting the seventeenth election in Croydon and offering a strong, experienced alternative.

“I want to see Labor replaced as the progressive choice in Croydon because local Labor still has questionable governance.

“I took the BRIT school to Croydon, introduced comprehensive nursery education, convinced Ken Livingstone to build the Coulsdon bypass and ran what became a better performing Croydon council pension fund, which doubled in size to over £1.7bn, making £864.7m for the Fund or £5,764 per Croydon household. As a former deputy I helped 15,565 inhabitants.

“I believe my experience in the city will help secure investment for the regeneration of Croydon town centre. I would speak out for tolerance and against prejudice, push for new trams to help restore the tram system, campaign for extra doctors and seek football regulation laws to encourage stable, high quality football club ownership across long term.”

Peter Underwood – Green Party

Peter has lived in Croydon for over twenty years and is very active in his local community. He sits on the committee of his Residents’ Association and his local Forest Friends group. He is a past chairman of Croydon Friends of the Earth and was also a member of the Croydon Climate Crisis Commission.

Peter was raised in the middle of England, the son and grandson of coal miners and machine factory workers. Peter went to his local school and, despite being homeless when he was 17, successfully gained a place at Oxford University, where he studied Philosophy and Psychology.

Peter spent the first half of his career working in the public service. He started out in benefits consultancy in Croydon and over the years moved through a number of different government roles and promotions to lead the team that wrote the UK’s renewable energy strategy. He has worked in both the British Parliament and the European Parliament.

For the past ten years, Peter has worked for environmental conservation charities, working to support the volunteers who look after our local parks and forests, as well as working on large rescue projects in Scotland.

Peter has been active in the Green Party for over ten years and has held local and national roles within the party, as well as representing the Green Party of England and Wales at European level.

“I am so pleased to be selected as a candidate for my area. I am proud to support the Green Party to bring some honesty, decency and humanity back into politics.

“We are facing a cost of living crisis, a climate crisis and a policy crisis that has been covered up by lies and corruption. The Green Party is the only party that has solutions to all of this – taking care of people, taking care of our environment. , and the care of trust.

“We have suffered too long under the current government and the polls show that the Tories will definitely not win this time. In Croydon, we also suffered under Labour. They have become a party that cares more about success. rather than improving the lives of the people they are supposed to serve.”

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