Cllr Joy Morrissey is seeking the nomination to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. She is councillor in Ealing and stood for Ealing Central and Action in the General Election last year.
As I outlined in a piece for Huffington Post, I want to fight a positive and upbeat campaign that reaches out to non-traditional Conservative supporters who feel left behind whilst staying true to our Conservative principles. One thing that became clear in 2016 and again in 2017 is that we need to broaden our appeal in London, and I plan to fight a campaign that does exactly that. Win or lose, 2020 needs to be a win-win for the Conservative Party in London and we need to leave a positive legacy with the campaign we fight.
We also need to build more truly affordable homes to ensure people can own their own home, but we also need to ensure that we have a message for the growing number of private renters. Right now, renting in London can be a frustrating experience. As I explained in my piece for The Telegraph, I’d work with major institutional investors to drive up standards and offer more secure tenures in the private rental sector.
People will also be looking for a Mayor who can safeguard investment in public transport in 2020. Sadiq Khan has created a £1 billion black hole in the TfL budget and we’re seeing the result of this with planned investment being delayed, kicked into the long grass or cancelled entirely. Sadiq Khan’s war on motorists also isn’t just unfair to people who need to travel by car – It’s also estimated to cost £780m. As promised in my article for City AM, I’d scrap Sadiq Khan’s politically motivated ULEZ extension scheme and instead invest in more effective ways to reduce emissions.
But above all, we’ve got to make our streets safe again. In my interview with The Sun, I spoke about my own very personal concerns about the safety of my own daughter growing up in London. If I’m elected Mayor, I’ll get the Met back on the front foot against gangs by having a temporary increase in targeted stop and search.