Friends in low places: Croydon Conservatives’ election agent, and Coulsdon councillor, Ian Parker (second right) has recently obsessed over guilt by association. So he probably won’t want to be be reminded that he was friendly with the locally notorious Peter Morgan (third right)
It is just over a year until Croydon goes to the polls in its second Mayoral election, and the local Tories already seem up for the fight. But leading the way for them is a paid gofer who struggles to cope with everyday tech.
By WALTER CRONXITE, Political Editor
Just when Ben Taylor, Labour’s unsuccessful General Election candidate in Croydon South last year, thought that the dust had settled, further allegations have been raised by his would-be nemesis, Ian Parker.
As reported by iC last month, Parker, Croydon Conservatives’ veteran election agent and Coulsdon Town councillor, had been ferreting through Taylor’s expense declarations, focusing on how much his Labour counterpart, Michael Collins, had actually been paid.
Might Collins’ remuneration be in breach of the National Living Wage legislation? Or was there a lack of accuracy in the figures submitted, as legally required, to the Electoral Commission? Parker demanded to know the truth!
Baffled: Ian Parker, incapable of posting a simple online comment, as thousands of others have managed
Like a dog with a bone, Parker refuses to let the matter lie.
As most people understand by now, Inside Croydon has a long-standing policy of providing an immediate right of reply to its news coverage, through its online Comments service. So far in 2025, almost 2,000 comments have been posted to this website – averaging close to 500 every month (including this month so far, April).
But posting a comment in reply to our report proved to be beyond Ian Parker, Conservative councillor and de facto in charge of managing Tory campaigns in this borough for the past 15 years or more.
Parker complained that he was unable to post his remarks to this website. He claimed that there was something wrong with our system (there isn’t, as thousands of other commenters demonstrate).
But this is what Nosey Parker had to say for himself: “My unanswered questions to Ben Taylor were to determine if he had spent above the legal maximum,” Parker wrote, repeating what we had already reported extensively.
“I have my strong suspicions but I suspect his wall of silence will continue.
“The small amount of money declared by Taylor for staff costs suggests his agent was paid below the minimum wage. I can’t be certain without answers to the questions.
“You note that the amount declared by myself as agent for Chris Philp is less than that declared by Taylor for his agent. Correct. But I have a full-time job, only a proportion of which related to my role as an agent to Chris Philp.
“I was also agent to three other Croydon candidates. Taylor’s agent was not. I have other non-declarable responsibilities as an employee of Croydon Conservatives not related to campaigning. I am not paid below the minimum wage…
“I have asserted my willingness to answer any questions related to expenses. This still stands. I wish all candidates were as transparent but only Ben Taylor has failed to answer questions.
“I may well take forward my concerns about other Croydon candidates’ Returns of Election Expenses although they will probably be met with a similar wall of silence.
“Taylor’s declared spending significantly below the legal max in Croydon South, a tightly fought campaign, is not plausible but I can’t get answers to the questions. I will decide whether to pursue the next course of action which involves the police. That option is open to anyone of course.
“I suspect you will not grant me any right of reply to your ‘Nosey Parker’ article, but I’m responding for the record.
“Ian Parker”.
Councillor Parker said that he was making the above comments in a personal capacity, although here at Inside Croydon Towers we take that with the proverbial pinch of salt. His full-time job is cook, bottle-washer and mudslinger for Croydon Conservative Federation, an organisation that covers the Tory Party’s activities in all four of Croydon’s parliamentary constituencies.
Desperate stuff: Parker is spending his full-time job as Croydon Tories’ agent by acting like an online stalker, or ever so slightly creepy troll, of a young mother
That doesn’t let Ben Taylor off the hook of course. While his mates may think he’s maintaining a dignified silence, most voters would be forgiven for thinking he’s got something to hide. By saying nothing, Taylor is doing what the Yanks call “taking the Fifth” to avoid incriminating himself.
However, Parker’s attempts at smearing Labour over this issue and harking back to Tony Newman’s Numpties is beginning to look a bit desperate. Since Rowenna Davis was confirmed as Labour’s candidate for Croydon Mayor, it is as if Parker has revised his job description to act as a full-time online troll of the young mother.
What’s behind these twin obsessions?
With 53 weeks to go until Croydon goes to the polls for the 2026 local elections, Parker is facing an uphill battle in keeping the part-time, Council Tax-hiking, promise-breaking and serial liar Jason Perry in his £84,000 job as Mayor.
Perhaps Parker’s own job with the local Tories is also at stake, should the results go the wrong way? Politics can be ruthless at the best of times, and is often a results-based business. For Parker, attack is his best and, indeed, his only form of defence.
Stalker: funnily enough, Ian Parker’s attack-dog tweets never mention the 27% hike in Council Tax under his piss-poor pal, Jason Perry
The most frequent line Parker has been using is trying to link Davis with the previous, discredited council regime of Tony Newman.
The trouble with that, though, is that Davis was not on the council until 2022 – more than two years after Newman had quit.
Nor has she ever voted in favour of the massive Council Tax hikes, amounting to 27% since 2023, brought in by piss-poor Perry, and enthusiastically backed by Parker. And Davis never voted for any of Newman’s disastrous council budgets, unlike Perry and Parker, who both did.
It all seems a bit like clutching at straws, but with a bit of a nasty streak.
Of course, Parker could carry out his threat to report his concerns over Taylor’s dodgy accounting to the police, but whether our boys in blue would have the time and interest for such trivial matters is a moot point. After all, they haven’t yet got round to taking forward very serious allegations made against an ally of Parker’s from Coulsdon’s Tories.
The allegations were so serious that officers from two police forces, the Met and Surrey, felt compelled to dig up the suspect’s garden. You can work out for yourself what they might have been looking for. The last time iC checked in with Scotland Yard, the matter remained an on-going investigation.
Ten months on from Keir Starmer’s landslide win in the General Election where Labour’s Taylor still managed to lose in Croydon South, and for reasons best known to himself, he continues to appear to be an almost full-time political campaigner. Perhaps he doesn’t have any more useful hobbies?
If Parker were to be successful in deposing Taylor as Labour’s Croydon South candidate, he might just shoot his fox. It would allow Labour to find a more appealling candidate to stand against Chris Philp at the next General Election.
Unless the Tories strike a deal with the repugnant Farage and Reform, the far-right vote in the south of the borough could be split. This might allow a half-decent candidate, most probably wearing a red rose, to sneak in.
There’s an easy way to settle this once and for all, which is for Ben Taylor to come clean on the whole issue. Over to you, Ben!
Read more: Perry admits he can’t take action against council’s bankrupters
Read more: Labour Party ends suspension of ex-council leader Newman
Read more: Perry slammed for £439,000 in ‘golden hellos’ paid to new staff
Read more: Volunteer criticises Perry for taking credit for residents’ efforts
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