I have never been one to talk about going on a journey in the non-physical sense. But over the last nine months I have undergone an experience no other word will suffice to express. I have travelled from zones one to six and met thousands of Londoners from all walks of life. I have toured markets, mosques, synagogues, suburbs, hospitals and high streets. I have witnessed the remarkable work being done by voluntary organisations in all corners of the capital. I have plunged my whole being into the warp and woof of this city in an attempt to seek out its core concerns and aspirations, and I have come out the other side determined to make a difference to the lives of everyone who lives here. Here’s why I want you to vote for me on Thursday.
London is a fantastic city, without doubt the most vibrant and dynamic in the world. But this city has serious problems, and the worst of them is crime. Violent crime is rife on our streets and the tragic toll of teenage deaths keeps rising. Incivility and casual disorder provide the mood music on many of London’s buses. People are scared of walking the streets in their neighbourhoods – and given the evidence of the mayor’s own statistics, that fear is entirely rational. It is appalling and unacceptable for the current mayor to brush off their fears with weasel words and sophistic statistics, or to blame the media for glamourising violence. I refuse to accept defeat on crime.
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