Where to find Stella Creasy MP for Walthamstow, this week

• Monday 1 June addressing the Labour Finance and Industry Group summer reception 
• Wednesday 3 June attending the debate on the Queen's speech provisions on the economy
• Thursday 4 June attending the final day of the Queen's speech debate and then the meeting for all Labour party members in Walthamstow to nominate a candidate for London Mayor at the URC church on Orford Road 

GLA & LONDON MAYORAL selections

Although the London Mayoral candidate selection process has now been completed (scroll down for results) there are still steps to complete in choosing candidates for the London wide list for the GLA

London wide list for GLA Selection timetable:

• 28 May applications close
• 30 May Selection board consider cvs and make initial interview list
• June - interviews
• 27 June - longlist
• July - target seat selections start (Walthamstow is part of London NE constituency, for which Jennette Arnold has already been re-selected, so is not involved in this process; if you want details on this email walthamstowclp@yahoo.co.uk)
• 31 October - interviews of sitting London wide list members
• 1 November - interview remaining panel members
• 4 November - London wide list candidates finalised

Results of the London Mayoral selection:

Sadiq Khan has been selected as Labour’s candidate for London Mayor. There were six candidates in the election, and Khan won on the fifth round of voting. Turnout by section was: Members 81%, Registered Supporters 92%, Affiliated Supporters 45%. Full details of the five rounds of voting are on the LabourList page here

Elections for the Greater London Assembly (GLA), and the London Mayor take place in 2016. Labour's Mayoral Candidate has been decided and announced on September 11th; the process for candidates for Labour's target GLA constituency seats and London wide list of the GLA is still underway (see below).

London Mayoral Selection timetable:

• From 7 May 2015 - supporters in London invited to register. Affiliated supporters (political levy-paying members of affiliated trade unions) pay nothing, registered supporters (all others) pay a minimum of £3.
• 13 to 20 May 2015 - applications accepted
• 20 May to 10 June 2015 – nomination period. Affiliated supporters as well as members must be invited to nomination meetings, and constituencies making nominations must include at least one woman. Candidates require at least five constituency nominations to go forward.
• 4 June - Walthamstow CLP decides its nominations; two can be submitted, at least one being a woman. This process is open to all members and affiliated supporters living in the constituency. Registered supporters will be able to take part in the final ballot - see below.
• 12 June 2015 - selection committee longlists
• 15 June 2015 - selection committee shortlists
• 17 June 2015 onwards - hustings
• 12 August 2015 - last date to: register as supporter, register as affiliated supporter, or join the Labour Party in London, in order to qualify for the ballot.
• 14 August to 10 September 2015 (was 1 to 29 July 2015) - ballot of all members, affiliated supporters and registered supporters living in London
• 11 September 2015 (was 31 July) - declaration of result - Labour's candidate for the London Mayoral election in 2016

Stella's statement launching her campaign to be deputy leader

"All Labour members who have been out campaigning recently will have heard it.

You knock on the door and someone answers and says: ‘We only ever see you at election time - you just want one thing.

It rarely does justice to years of hard work by the local MP and councillors. But it poses the challenge that Labour has to meet if it is to win power again.

Let’s be frank. Too many voters think Labour is no longer a movement of people across the country committed to social justice, but a machine that only kicks into gear at election time.

Difficult though it is to accept, for millions who share our values, Labour is no longer seen as their voice for change or the vehicle for delivering it. Since Keir Hardie’s time we have fought the poverty, inequality and injustices that hold back too many.

We sought office not just to change governments but to change lives. The minimum wage, the NHS, devolution, equality law. Each a testament to how, at our best, we have been a force for good, changing Britain for the better.

This passion for social justice still beats strong within our members today. And as we watch this Tory government dismantle the welfare state, destroy the lives of our young people and demoralize the public sector, never more has Britain needed the fire for change and faith in an alternative.

Today I am standing to be deputy leader of the Labour party to help restore that fire and faith in our party.

“This is about more than 650 people in Westminster - Labour has always been able to achieve change from the grassroots up, not just on the green benches of parliament.

Too many people now see politics as an elite sport, for the few not the many. That means we miss out on their ideas and actions as they get put off taking part. I want to change that.

Our members are our best asset. They are people who believe fairness, prosperity and opportunity is open to all, not just those with the money or means to buy success. And the people who are willing to stand up and defend this principle in their own communities.

Since the election, 30,000 people have joined Labour to make us 230,000 strong - if we ignore them until an election comes round, we do them and the cause we all serve, a disservice.

But that doesn’t mean treating every day like polling day. To harness their passion for social justice we have to offer them more than a leaflet round or a three hour procedures committee.

I want to tap into the energy, enthusiasm and experience of every man and woman who wants to speak up for a different kind of Britain. Just because you join a political party, it doesn't mean you stop campaigning for change.

So I want us to get back to our roots in fighting injustice. Whether tackling legal loan sharks or taking on the Twitter trolls my track record shows I know how to work with people across Britain to take on those who exploit or harass the vulnerable.

Now I’m standing to be Labour’s deputy leader to ensure Labour is once again a movement and not a machine.

Labour has to renew and rediscover its voice in every community across our country.

Together we can again be a force for good for Britain.

16/5/2015

#Stella4Deputy

In the Mirror - Stella Creasy confirms she's running for deputy leader

In today's Mirror: "Stella Creasy confirms she's running for Labour deputy leader: 'Party must return to fighting poverty, inequality and injustice'

Ms Creasy, Labour Co-operative MP for Walthamstow, east London, and shadow minister for consumer affairs, is seen as one of the party’s rising stars"

On her website Stella says: "To win again we need to set out the difference Labour makes to our communities and our country. I am standing for Deputy Leader and want to listen to your views on how we change the Labour Party, to help us change the country again. Now I need your help – to start that conversation across our Labour movement and in our local communities.

Stephen Bush in The New Statesman writes: "Creasy, who was elected MP for Walthamstow in 2010, is one of the highest profile members of the parliamentary Labour Party, and has carved out a niche as one of Britain's most successful campaigners, on issues ranging from payday loans to women's representation on banknotes.

"Writing for the Mirror, Creasy has pledged to "restore fire and faith" in the Labour movement. Creasy is adored by the membership and will be heavyweight opposition to both Caroline Flint and Tom Watson . . ."  article continues here

Join Stella and help start the conversation 

#Stella4Deputy

The Leadership and Deputy election processes

Labour Party leadership results page

(London Mayoral Results & GLA Selection timetable HERE)

This is the schedule for the election process to choose the next Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party:

Date	Item
Friday 15 May	Election Period Opens
Monday 8 June	PLP Nomination Hustings for Leader
Tuesday 9 June	PLP Nomination Hustings for Deputy Leader
Tuesday 9 June	PLP Nominations Open
12pm Monday 15 June	PLP Nominations (Leader) Close
12pm  Wednesday 17 June	PLP Nominations (Deputy Leader) Close
Wednesday 17 June	Hustings period opens
12pm Friday 31 July	Supporting Nominations Close
12pm Wednesday 12 August	Last date to join as member, affiliated supporter, or registered supporter
Friday 14 August	Ballot mailing despatched
12pm Thursday 10 September	Ballot closes
Saturday 12 September	Special conference to announce result

These guidelines have been provided for Labour Party members:

• You have one vote to cast for your choice of Leader and another for Deputy Leader
• This election will be held on a one-person-one-vote basis. Three sets of people can vote:

                            * Labour Party members
                            * Affiliated supporters — people who signed up as a Labour Party supporter

                                                through one of our affiliated organisations or unions

                            * Registered supporters — people who registered that they support the Labour 

                                                Party by signing up online and paying a one-off minimum fee of £3

• The nomination process will start on 15 May
• Anyone that wants to be a candidate for the Leader or Deputy Leader of the Labour party needs to be nominated by 35 MPs.
• MPs can nominate their preferred candidates for Leader and Deputy Leader from 9 June; track the progress of each candidate at www.labour.org.uk/leadership [updated at 12.30pm and 5.30pm each day]. Nominations close on 15 June (Leader) and 17 June (Deputy Leader).
• More information soon on how CLPs can make a supporting nomination.
• From early June, the names and bios of MPs putting themselves forward for nomination will be hosted on our website at www.labour.org.uk/leadership

• London Mayoral & GLA Selection timetable CLICK HERE

What we who love the Labour party must do next - Stella Creasy MP

From The Observer online 10 May 2015

"The dust has begun to settle. We are an army bruised, beaten and bewildered. We worked our socks off delivering leaflets, knocking doors, tweeting cat pictures and arguing with risograph printers. And still David Cameron sits in Downing Street. Ed Miliband’s leadership reinvigorated long-time activists and inspired a new generation of campaigners alike, restoring a sense of hope that Labour could be a party to not only change governments but also change lives. This feels as heartbreaking as 1992, as lethal as 1979 and as shocking as 1983. As we ask where now for Labour, we owe it to our movement to resist the personal blame game – and not to simply launch a salvage operation.

The numbers are brutal – last week was not about media conspiracies or quirks of our electoral process. We cannot pretend we won the popular vote. More people chose the Conservatives over us. Some results defy national trends – whether in Cambridge, Edinburgh South or Enfield North – as others reinforce them. Whether in Scotland or in London or in key marginals, the public didn’t just disregard the received wisdom of pollsters. They also confounded the data underpinning our “get out the vote” activity. The voters have spoken – and told us to think again.

This is not their mistake but our challenge, to which we need to rise. It reflects how not only our argument, but also our actions as a campaigning force will need to be different if we are to win in 2020. Quick fixes – whether new technology or new people or arguing that the Conservatives will cause so much damage the public will “see sense” – risk us making the wrong assumptions about this upset. As challenging as it may seem, we have to allow ourselves the space and discipline to listen and reflect; to grieve and so to learn.

This matters not least because of what we already know about the election. The myriad different battles at both a local and a national level suggests there is no one truth, no one analysis that comfortably explains what happened. Some early lessons are filtering through. Our economic credibility is the core thread that allows us to show how progressive politics require not protecting the status quo but provoking change for the benefit of all. Our campaigning must do more than ask how people vote if we are to build a relationship with them for our shared ambitions for our country.

Rooted in the communities we serve, our cause must be renewed and reaffirmed for a generation that does not want to be told what to do but to shape its own future – and to support not just an opposition but an alternative to narrow Conservatism. All of us must ask fundamental questions about the purpose of the Labour movement and how this is best expressed. Only then can we develop a new politics for the new times we face.

In Harriet Harman we have an interim leader more than capable of stopping the Tories from boxing us into a story of hopelessness. Thoughtful and radical renewal cannot be rushed, and it cannot be devoid of emotion if it is to be meaningful. It will involve talking to those who didn’t back us as well as those who did – and asking both what it would take for them not simply to support us but to become involved.

Therapists will tell you there are several stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining and depression – before acceptance. Recognising that we cannot deny that Labour lost the fight about the future helps us be aware of the centrality of our arguments to our success. Anger for the amazing candidates who didn’t win highlights the value of our people to our movement. Bargaining for the changes that might have made all the difference in some seats shows the need for a more flexible approach to campaigning. Depression at the long road ahead for Labour to return to power helps us appreciate the work to be done.

As JFK once argued: “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” And change we must to win in 2020. This will be uncomfortable. But we have been here before. And by being brave we have led again and become a force for good in Britain. Let’s grieve today to enable us to grow tomorrow.

Stella Creasy is MP for Walthamstow

Original Observer article here

Labour leadership: Likely contenders

From BBC news on 10th May (click picture for original page on bbc.co.uk)

Thank you Walthamstow!

 The results of the election on May 7^th for the parliamentary seat of Walthamstow (and comparative party figures for 2010) were:

2015
CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES CAST	% of Turnout
Steven Cheung	Liberal Democrats	1661	4
Stella Creasy	Labour & Cooperative	28,779	68.8	Elected -  majority: 23,195
Michael Gold	Green	2,661	6.3
Paul Hillman	UKIP	2507	6
Jonty Leff	WRP	81
Ellie Merton	Independent	129
Molly Samuel- Leport	Conservative	5,584	13.4
Nancy Taffe	TUSC	394	1
	Total Turnout	41,809 (out of 67,015)	63% turnout
	2010
	Liberal Democrats	11,774	28.7
	Labour & Cooperative	21,252	51.8	Elected - majority: 9478
	Green	767	1.8
	UKIP	823	2
	Christian Party	248
	Independent	117
	Conservative	5734	14
	Total turnout	40,994

See the LBWF website for the results in Leyton and Chingford

What's happening this week to keep Walthamstow Labour

We're now gearing up for polling day, and organising committee rooms, eve of poll cards etc. If you can help us
email Dannie, or just email:
walthamstowclp@yahoo.co.uk.

We need help before polling day with:

• eve of poll card address labels
• eve of poll card delivery

We need help on polling day with:

• knocking up and leafleting
• campaigning in key seats [see London Labour Key Seats for where they are and contact details]

CALL 020 8520 6586 or 07984 895153:

• On polling day to find out where we most need help
• To help before polling day
• If you'd like a window poster to display

Where to find Stella Creasy Labour Candidate for Walthamstow, this week

• Saturday 2^nd May – Holding a public meeting on Women’s Safety and then attending the  Gnome House opening ceremony 
• Sunday 3^rd May – Campaigning in Enfield North for Labour
• Monday 4^th May – Judging the Lloyd Park Dog Show
• Thursday 7^th May – Seeking re-election to be Walthamstow's Labour MP in the General Election!