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Our senior counsel, Paul Smith has prepared a briefing on the Labour mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan's views on housing. If you would like to request a copy of this briefing, please get in touch.
Corbyn takes aim at Tories and vows to end London’s housing crisis
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On Saturday we found out that Jeremy Corbyn is the new leader of the Labour Party - he has subsequently confirmed his pledge to end the housing crisis in the capital if he wins in 2020.
Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership contest with a comfortable 59.5 per cent of the 42,664 vote cast after the first round, which by any measure is a striking mandate. But can he win over the public in the general election in 2020?
Corbyn used his acceptance speech to call for an end to the current housing crisis, stating he is “fed up with the social cleansing of London by this Tory government.” Addressing Sadiq Khan, the successful Labour candidate for London Mayor, Corbyn said that “We need a Labour mayor in London who can ensure we do house everyone in London, we do end the sky high rents, we do end insecurity in the private rented sector. We need a Labour mayor to bring that about and Sadiq’s the man to do it.”
It seems Corbyn is heavily reliant on Khan winning the Mayoral election in May next year to drive the change in the capital that he has promised. Nevertheless, he made his stance clear; “We don’t have to be unequal; it doesn’t have to be unfair; poverty isn’t inevitable. Things can, and they will, change.”
Quickly making an alliance with Khan is a good move, but let’s not forget that many front benchers resigned in the wake of Corbyn’s election, and he will be judged on his ability to bring the party back together again, and whether he delivers on his promises for London’s housing.
Khan’s decisive victory in the Labour mayoral candidacy
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If you had asked pollsters three months ago about the most likely winner of the Labour mayoral candidacy, they would have probably said Jowell was the frontrunner. With her Olympic legacy and strong experience as a London MP, she looked like the winning candidate. When the chosen candidate was announced on Friday, however, it was Sadiq Khan who triumphed by winning 59% of the vote.
As reported in last the last edition of Capital Letters, Sadiq owes his victory in part to the left wing surge in support for the newly elected leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Jowell’s alignment as a Blairite candidate may have also fuelled his success, as candidates perceived to be linked to New Labour have suffered in both the mayoral and leadership elections.
But it is not fair to say that only outside factors bolstered Khan. His campaign was fought on clear messages on housing and transport and he was able to successfully capitalise on his financial backing from the union. It is now to be seen whether he can carry on this strength to the election next May.
Khan and Corbyn; Shoulder-to-shoulder or head-to-head?
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Neither Jeremy Corbyn nor Sadiq Khan started as the frontrunners. Apart from a rogue result in June, every opinion poll consistently predicted Khan wouldn’t win the Labour candidacy for London Mayor. Much has been made of the politics of Corbyn, but what of Khan’s, and will he follow his new Leader’s direction?
In his first newspaper interview conducted with the Evening Standard he stressed his independence, saying “If you look at my last 10 years in Parliament, one thing nobody can accuse me of is being scared of my leader.” He also emphasised how, as London Mayor, he wouldn’t be in a Corbyn government, “I fought this campaign on who I am. I can set out what my vision is, what I want to do. Being in government is a bit different, you have collective responsibility, you’re a team player.”
Jeremy Corbyn stated in Monday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party his three top priorities are housing, next year’s elections in Scotland and Wales and wining the general election in 2020. Similarly, in June of this year, Khan wrote a piece for the New Statesman’s The Staggers titled ‘Solving the housing crisis will be at the heart of my mayoralty’. In the article he stated his intention to not only form but also personally lead a new “London Homes Team” which will “work around the clock on getting London building”.
You can read a more thorough analysis of Sadiq Khan by JBP’s James Hargrave here.
JBP's Mayoral Watch
The four contenders for the Conservative nomination for Mayor of London will appear at a public hustings on the 22nd September at St Paul's Church, Chiswick.