Family is central to Bangladeshi culture. The erosion of traditional values under Labour’s progressive policies has left many in the community feeling alienated.
In the last three months, the Mayor of London has started just 150 affordable homes and only completed 71 – across the whole of the capital. His target is approximately 3000 a quarter.
Tradition says you commend any other maiden speakers who go before you, praise your predecessors, and make a pitch to have the best constituency in Britain. Despite this formula you want to put your best foot forward.
In London, Conservatives ended up with just nine MPs out of 75. In the London Assembly election just two months earlier, the Conservatives returned a much stronger eight assembly members out of 25.
Those leaving a West End show find every pub or bar nearby closed, late-night food options are increasingly limited, and a night out beyond midnight has to be meticulously planned, with spontaneous hopping from venue to venue increasingly impossible.
It’s simply not possible to attract a superb candidate without the beginnings of a revival already underway. Nor can a revival happen without a mayoral standard bearer.
We also need to accept that boroughs have different needs. Outer London is poorly served by public transport.
If a mainstream candidate is needed, when next the Conservative leadership is contested, in order to stop some more ideological figure such as Kemi Badenoch, it is just possible that Cleverly might fit the bill.
Every major electoral reform for the past two hundred years has been heralded as the death knell of Toryism. Instead our party adapted – and thrived.
House price growth is driving many Londoners to move out. The Mayor is failing to respond to this – or to the other challenges we face.
His one consistent position over the last five years has been an abject loathing of the car and the motorist.
The bill for TfL staff working on trade union activities has nearly doubled under him to £8.7 million.
A lack of accountability allowed a black hole to be created in Transport for London’s budget. Planning decisions are made in secret.
The reduced service Transport for London is providing is just not sufficient for essential workers to travel across the city safely.
A competitive, charismatic challenge is now on the table – the question is whether the Tories will rise to it, or once again squander the opportunity.