Concilio was proud to sponsor a fundraiser for Labour Party parliamentary candidates Liam Conlon (Beckenham and Penge) and Ben Taylor (Croydon South), hosted by the Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood Labour Party.
Concilio members Siddo Dwyer, Charlie Lovett and Patrick Ging joined local members, campaigners and elected representatives for an absorbing conversation introduced by organiser and local CLP Chair (and former member of Concilio) Oscar Harman, and featuring Liam, Ben, and Siobhan McDonagh MP (Mitcham and Morden).
Chairing the discussion, Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council & Sustainability lead Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, posed questions to the panel on a range of topics, including the panellists’ journeys to get to where they are today, reflections on the parallels of this election year to 1997 and key priorities if they were to be elected in 2024.
Some highlights:
- Siobhan’s key piece of advice to Liam and Ben – always respect your constituents and stay engaged with your constituency. Plus, never do anything you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the Daily Mail!
- Ben, explaining how working in a foodbank led him to get involved in politics.
- Liam, outlining how he was inspired by the late Dame Tessa Jowell, describing the Good Friday Agreement as ‘a love song to Labour values.’
It was also great to hear the panel discuss the future of housing and planning under a Labour government, including the importance of ‘building on the un-green greenbelt’.
We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and wish Ben and Liam all the best in their respective races.
