With just days to go before the deadline for candidate declarations for the July 4 General Election, the Green Party in Croydon has been forced into a last-minute scramble to find a replacement for Marley King in Croydon West.
Sources suggest that emergency meetings were held by Croydon Greens yesterday, with a selection meeting to be held tomorrow night. “Our members in Croydon get to choose our party’s candidates,” a source said, pointedly.
Changed circumstances: Marley King
King, a mother of children with complex social needs, announced her decision this afternoon on social media.
“I have made the difficult decision to step down as the Green candidate for Croydon West,” King tweeted. “This isn’t a decision I have taken lightly, it is a honour to represent my community, I love Croydon, it has always been my home, it is where I choose to stay and raise my children.
“It is because of the love for my children I have decided to step down as a candidate. We find ourselves at very important transitions in their lives where they need my full attention, support and love,” King wrote.
“I still fully support the aims and principles of the Green Party and look forward to supporting Croydon Green Party again in the future.”
Parenting priorities: King’s announcement today
King has in the past worked for the NHS as a social prescriber and she is also trained as a mental health first aider. She was announced as the Green parliamentary candidate in October last year.
Croydon West is among the new constituencies in the borough following a boundaries review, and comprises parts of the former Croydon Central, Croydon North and Croydon South constituencies, and is predicted as a safe Labour seat.
Labour’s candidate is Sarah Jones, who was Croydon Central’s Labour MP from 2017.
The Conservatives have chosen Chris Philp’s office assistant, Simon Fox, a councillor in Waddon ward, as their candidate, while the LibDem nominee is Jahir Hussain.
- All other candidates, for all constituencies, can be found by using our special election tool, provided by WhoCanIVoteFor.co.uk:
For more information on where to vote on July 4 and for the full list of who is standing for election in your constituency, use our widget here:
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
