From this Monday, Conservative Party members in London will have the chance to vote for who they would like to be the party’s candidate for the London Mayoral Election race in 2020. The three candidates Shaun Bailey, Andrew Boff and Joy Morrissey have exclusively written for CFI.
Shaun Bailey has been a London Assembly Member since 2016 and previously served as the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser. In his message, Shaun reflected on his visit to Israel with CFI and also said that: “That British Jews should be experiencing antisemitism is abhorrent. Antisemitism has no place in our society, and needs to be called out for what it is – racism in its basest form. I vow to stand shoulder to shoulder with the community in our shared fight against this most pernicious of evils”.
Andrew Boff, a London Assembly Member since 2008, has been outspoken in his condemnation of Hezbollah flags flying on London’s streets. Referring to the recent appearance of racist posters at London bus shelters, Mr Boff said that it is “unacceptable” and “entirely false” to describe Israel’s existence as a ‘racist endeavour’, underlining: “Israel is a thriving democracy in the Middle East and its existence is a result of hundreds of years of persecution of Jewish people across the world”.
Joy Morrissey has been a Councillor in Ealing since 2014 and was the 2017 Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Ealing Central and Acton. In her message, she set out her vision for London and emphasised that she “will do everything in my power and use every lever at the Mayor’s disposal to fight against the spread of anti-Semitism in London”. Cllr Morrissey thanked the support of CFI activists throughout her campaigning.
Read the full messages from all three candidates below.
Shaun Bailey:
Shanah Tovah! I hope CFI’s Jewish supporters had a joyous Rosh Hashanah and I wish you all a peaceful and prosperous new year.
From this Monday, Conservative Party members in London will be given an important decision to make – who you would like to be your Conservative candidate to be London Mayor for 2020 and challenge Labour’s failing Sadiq Khan.
The Jewish community is a vital part of the fabric of London, and the whole of the United Kingdom. The community makes an enormous contribution across all levels of London society – from business and science to the arts and a thriving charity sector.
I grew up on an estate in West London and my family heritage is that of the Windrush generation. My Grandfather fought in World War 2 and then moved to Great Britain to help rebuild the country. My family strived to work hard and contribute to the country in the same way the Jewish community had. I want to continue that tradition by making London an even better place to work, and a better place for your family.
That British Jews should be experiencing antisemitism is abhorrent. Antisemitism has no place in our society, and needs to be called out for what it is – racism in its basest form. I vow to stand shoulder to shoulder with the community in our shared fight against this most pernicious of evils.
From protecting Jewish institutions across the city to preserving Jewish traditions, as your Conservative Mayoral candidate I promise that I would speak up for you every day.
I had the great pleasure of visiting Israel for the first time with CFI a few years ago. I couldn’t help but be struck by its vibrancy, its energy, and its extraordinary achievements in a mere 70 years since its foundation. It’s all the more incredible when ones considers that the Jewish state has a population the same size as London’s!
I’m so pleased to see such a rich exchange of culture between our two great countries. Bilateral trade between the countries is soaring, with many Israeli businesses now established in London and employing hundreds of Londoners.
Israeli tech and ingenuity impacts upon the life’s of Londoners everyday – from the Waze navigation app to Gett black cab app, and NHS proscription drugs to online banking security. It is a relationship that not only enriches the lives of Londoners but also helps keep us safer and healthier.
London is a city that has historically looked towards the future with confidence. Under Sadiq Khan London is stalling and in many key areas our nation’s capital city has regressed, foremost of which has been the rise in violent crime.
I hope that I can count on your vote to be your Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. To find out more about my campaign and my vision for London please visit my website. You can also read my interview with the Jewish Chronicle this week.
Andrew Boff:
London’s Jewish community has given us so much and is such an integral part of our city’s history; this is why it’s so important we take a stand against bigotry and anti-Semitism when it rears its ugly head. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing; this has proven to be true time and time again, as seen with the current turmoil in the Labour Party.
If I were to become mayor, I assure you that I will continue to be a true friend of London’s Jewish community. These are not simply words, my track record in the London Assembly is evidence of this.
Many people, not just in the Jewish community, may remember the Al Quds march where Hezbollah flags were flown openly and freely on our streets here in London. I demanded that Sadiq Khan seek clarification from the Home Secretary on what constitutes a banned organisation – to which, sadly, I was not met with cooperation or sincerity from the Mayor. By rejecting my requests to prevent flags of terror being flown in London again in the future our Mayor is playing with the livelihood of London’s Jewish community and this is utterly unacceptable. Further, I also championed the new Metropolitan Police Hate Crime unit which has aided our Police service in clamping down on online harassment and racist threats; particularly toward minority groups.
Recently, we saw racist posters being placed at London bus shelters claiming Israel’s very existence is a ‘racist endeavour’. Our politicians must make it unequivocally clear that this is not acceptable, and not only is it not acceptable, it’s entirely false. Israel is a thriving democracy in the Middle-East and its existence is a result of hundreds of years of persecution of Jewish people across the world.
As Mayor, I will not stand by and let anti-Semitism become normalised. Without a Mayor who is as dedicated as myself on this issue, I fear for the future with the current rise of bigotry coming from radical political movements. London is a diverse city which is built upon its wide range of cultures and communities which have fused together to create something wonderful and I will make it my utmost priority to preserve that. I look forward to cooperating closely with the Conservative Friends of Israel and listening carefully to your concerns and aspirations for the future of London and your community.
Joy Morrissey:
I hope you each enjoyed a wonderful Rosh Hashanah and this year brings you success and joy.
I’d like to start with a thank you. At the General Election and during this campaign to become your Mayoral candidate, I have relied on the support of many CFI members and it has been a delight to campaign with you.
Should I be selected as the Conservative Mayoral candidate, I would continue to rely on our party’s fantastic activists. Within a month, I’d hold a summit of every council group leader and association Chairman in London to open a continual dialogue and make sure we work together to build a winning campaign for 2020.
My priorities are shaped by my time knocking on doors across London and listening to Londoners:
Crime: I will give a voice to the families who have lost loved ones. Community policing focused on tackling knife crime, gang violence and the underpinning issues that create cycles of violence and loss is key. Above all I will listen, I will learn from best practice, and I will take action. Because we all deserve to feel safer.
Housing: As the Conservative Policy Forum’s Housing Champion, I’m passionate about fixing London’s broken housing market. I will deliver a free-market based helping hand to support generation rent, making shared ownership a reality, increasing the supply of high-quality, secure homes, building more affordable housing, and ending land banking.
Transport: I will plug TfL’s £1billion budget black hole, grip spiralling wage and operating costs, and push for binding pendulum arbitration to stop Londoners being held to ransom by Labour’s trade unions. This will allow us to invest in London’s transport system and give Londoners the services they deserve.
Environment: Our beautiful City deserves cleaner air. By scrapping Sadiq Khan’s misguided expansion of the ultra-low emission zone, I will release £780m to accelerate the replacement of diesel buses with clean electric/hybrid buses. I will rewrite the London Plan to ensure that developments enhance our landscape.
For full detail on my policies please visit my website www.joy4london.co.uk or follow me on twitter @Joymorrissey
But I also want to make a personal commitment to you all.
If you choose me as your candidate and if I become your Mayor, I will do everything in my power and use every lever at the Mayor’s disposal to fight against the spread of anti-Semitism in London.
I cannot win without you. It would be an honour to have your support, and so I ask that next week, when you decide who you want to campaign alongside and enjoy victory with in 2020, you vote for me.
Thank you.
