Tag Archives: Liberal Democrats

The shifts below the waterline that require action from all sides

ANDREW FISHER takes a look behind the numbers from Thursday’s election and finds lessons for Labour as well as the Tories For all the “excitement” of Thursday’s elections, nothing much changed for Croydon. Labour’s Sadiq Khan remains London Mayor, Conservative … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Andrew Fisher, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Natasha Irons, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

In Croydon, Labour’s toxic track record makes it ‘no Khan-do’

After another two-day election count and too many coffees, political editor WALTER CRONXITE sifts through the detritus of Croydon and Sutton’s part in the 2024 London elections Not for the first time, Croydon kept London waiting. It was getting on … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Elly Baker, Hina Bokhari, Katherine Kerswell, Ken Livingstone, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Maddie Henson, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall, Sutton Council, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion, Zoe Garbett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Grumbled recriminations but little is changed at the Town Hall

Fuelled by a double espresso and a Count Binface discounted croissant, political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports from ExCel on the outcome of a couple of Croydon sideshows As news seeped out from ExCel last night of the two Croydon sideshows … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Andrew Price, Jade Appleton, Jess Hammersley-Rich, Mike Bonello, Park Hill and Whitgift, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

With 48% turn out in outer London, Khan’s team gets the jitters

Our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE, on Labour’s post-polling nervousness and confirmation that in Croydon council by-elections, things are never done as quickly as you might hope Have you ever met a poor bookmaker? No, me neither, which is why when … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Andrew Price, Jess Hammersley-Rich, Katherine Kerswell, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Park Hill and Whitgift, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Sadiq Khan’s last-gasp appeal for donations: ‘I’m really worried’

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE has obtained internal Labour correspondence that suggests some pre-election panic for the party With the London elections just days away, Labour has sent begging letters to members appealling for tens of thousands of pounds in last-minute … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Croydon Central, Croydon East, Croydon Greens, Croydon West, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Maddie Henson, Mayor of London, Peter Underwood, Sadiq Khan, Sarah Jones MP, Susan Hall, Zoe Garbett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

1-in-5 Londoners have no idea there’s an election next week

Shocking figures released today show that 20% of Londoners – 1-in-5 – don’t have a Scooby Doo (it’s rhyming slang…) that next Thursday, May 2, is election day in the capital. Among younger Londoners – those under 30 years old … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Crime, Housing, Knife crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

LibDems cancel Sutton selection meeting after ‘complaints’

Campaigning in what ought to be a ‘winnable’ parliamentary seat has been dogged by controversies and challenges, reports BELLE MONT With a General Election getting ever closer, the Liberal Democrats, already in complete disarray over who should be their candidate … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, 2024 London elections, London-wide issues, Luke Taylor, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Paul Scully MP, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Auckland Rise residents suffer the ‘curse’ of Brick by Brick

Our housing correspondent, BARRATT HOLMES, reports on how some of the warnings about the council house-builders’ ‘affordable’ homes are becoming an costly reality in Crystal Palace Residents in supposedly “affordable” shared ownership homes built in Crystal Palace by the council-owned … Continue reading

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Claire Bonham, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Housing, London-wide issues, Mayor Jason Perry, Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 2’s election day will show how bad things are for Tories

With two weeks to go, ANDREW FISHER focuses in on your three, or four, votes in Croydon. PLUS: how you can make sure you have proper photo ID for election day Every Croydon voter will have at least three votes … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Andrew Fisher, Chris Philp MP, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Croydon South, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Maddie Henson, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Park Hill and Whitgift, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall, Sutton Council, ULEZ, ULEZ expansion, Woodside, Zoe Garbett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tories relieved as LibDems opt for lightweights in Sutton

The Liberal Democrats may have managed to hand the hotly contested Sutton and Cheam parliamentary seat to the Conservatives already with their short-of-talent candidate shortlist, reports BELLE MONT Imagine the embarrassment for former BBC reporter John “Foghorn” Sweeney: all those … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, London-wide issues, Luke Taylor, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Paul Scully MP, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ex-BBC broadcaster in running for Sutton LibDem selection

BELLE MONT, our Sutton political editor, on a selection race that might make the TV news Former BBC Panorama and Newsnight reporter John Sweeney – known, unaffectionately, as “Foghorn” by the wags at Private Eye – is among the applicants … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, London-wide issues, Paul Scully MP, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tories pick Drummond to defend Sutton and Cheam seat

By our Sutton political editor, BELLE MONT Councillor Tom Drummond, the leader of the Conservative opposition group on Sutton Council, was last night selected to replace MP Paul Scully as the Tories’ candidate in Sutton and Cheam in the upcoming … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, London-wide issues, Paul Burstow MP, Paul Scully MP, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hellraiser on the ballot paper for Woodside ward by-election

The Greens are bringing a Hellraiser to the council by-elections being held next month. Nicholas Burman-Vince, the actor who played Chatterer Cenobite in Clive Barker’s cult Hellraiser movies, is the Green Party’s candidate for Woodside in the by-election being held … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Andrew Pelling, Andrew Price, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Jess Hammersley-Rich, Mike Bonello, Park Hill and Whitgift, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Muslim charity founder to stand in Woodside for the LibDems

The Liberal Democrats’ hopes of doubling their number of councillors in Croydon rest on the shoulders of Jahir Hussain, who has been named as their party’s candidate for the Woodside by-election being held on May 2. Hussain is the chief … Continue reading

Posted in Mike Bonello, Paul Scott, Tony Newman, Woodside | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Don’t panic! MP Philp could lose seat in Tory election wipe-out

By our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Inside Croydon’s long-dormant mole inside Croydon Tories’ headquarters in Purley (it’s been an especially long winter, even for small furry creatures that don’t usually hibernate) reports having been rudely awoken by the sound of … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Ben Taylor, Chris Philp MP, Croydon East, Croydon South, Croydon West, London-wide issues, Paul Scully MP, Streatham and Croydon North | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 39 Comments

LibDems and Tories name candidates for St Helier West ballot

Our Sutton reporter, ROSE HILL, on the latest wanabees announced for the council by-election on May 2 They may have been left flat-footed by the near-deadline-day resignation of Labour councillor Sheila Berry, but Sutton’s Tories and LibDems have managed to … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Catherine Gray, Neil Garratt, Sheldon Vestey, St Helier Hospital, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Drummond heads three-strong Tory list for Sutton and Cheam

EXCLUSIVE: Our investigations editor CARL SHILTON on the race in the Tory Party to replace Paul Scully as MP Councillor Tom Drummond, the leader of the Conservatives on Sutton Council, heads a three-person selection shortlist for the constituency where his … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Chipstead, Elliot Colburn, Paul Scully MP, Reigate and Banstead Council, Surrey, Sutton Council, Tom Drummond | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fox is left fuming after being kicked off London Mayor ballot

The capital’s election authorities have confirmed all the candidates for standing for election on May 2. And some that won’t be standing, too The jokes just write themselves. The bloke who used to be sidekick to Inspector Morse’s sidekick would … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Ria Patel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Putting Croydon First: the reasons I am now a Liberal Democrat

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Yesterday we reported how a former Croydon MP is standing for election with his third political party. Here, ANDREW PELLING explains why his days as an independent candidate are over “All politics is local”. Tip O’Neill’s phrase has … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Claire Bonham, Croydon Central, Croydon East, Croydon South, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, Park Hill and Whitgift, Richard Howard, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Party animal Pelling looks to run in Croydon East – for LibDems

ELECTIONS 2024: The former MP is hoping to stage a comeback in the new parliamentary seat by joining his third political party. EXCLUSIVE by our political editor, WALTER CRONXITE Andrew Pelling, a former Conservative MP and Labour councillor in Croydon, … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, Andrew Pelling, Croydon Central, Croydon East, Gavin Barwell, Inside Croydon, Jason Cummings, Natasha Irons, Peter Underwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Berry picks her moment to call time as St Helier West councillor

By BELLE MONT, our Sutton Council correspondent Sheila Berry, one of just three Labour councillors in Sutton, has resigned from the council. Berry was elected in St Helier West ward in May 2022, one of the first three Labour councillors … Continue reading

Posted in Outside Croydon, Ruth Dombey, Sheldon Vestey, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perry plans £100m more cuts in country’s first AI-driven council

CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Transformation’ project is set to be rubber-stamped at this week’s cabinet meeting (it will be approved without anything resembling a debate). But according to council insiders, it is ‘rushed’, ‘full of risks’ and just a ‘Trojan horse’ … Continue reading

Posted in 'Future Croydon', Adult Social Care, Children's Services, Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Improvement Board, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Peter Underwood, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

LibDems pick failed businessman Biggles as new Sutton leader

Failed businessman Barry “Biggles” Lewis is to be the next leader of Sutton Council, the borough’s Liberal Democrats announced yesterday. Lewis is to replace Ruth Dombey, who is standing down as Sutton’s LibDem leader in May after 12 years in … Continue reading

Posted in Barry Lewis, Business, Environment, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

LibDem power struggle after Dombey retires as Sutton leader

BELLE MONT on the end of an error at the south-west London council Ruth Dombey, the Liberal Democrat leader of Sutton Council, is standing down from the position in May. Dombey has been leader of the council since 2012, making … Continue reading

Posted in 2026 council elections, Barry Lewis, Bobby Dean, Outside Croydon, Paul Scully MP, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

King gets his bluff called over Tory cuts and Council Tax hike

CROYDON IN CRISIS: It was déjà vu all over again at last night’s budget meeting, where ‘steadfast’ opposition melted as soon as the borough’s opposition councillors were given a stern talking to. TOWN HALL SKETCH by STEVEN DOWNES Anyone out … Continue reading

Posted in Claire Bonham, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Esther Sutton, Jane West, Jason Cummings, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Ria Patel, Stuart King | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments