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Antonia Cox |
Tories invest in ex-banker to fight seat
A FORMER investment banker turned national newspaper journalist is the new Conservative candidate for Islington South and Finsbury.
Antonia Cox, 45, a former banking correspondent with the Daily Telegraph, now writes for the Evening Standard. She is married with three children, aged nine, 13 and 16, and lives in Paddington.
Ms Cox, 45, hopes to move to the borough if she is elected at the next election when she will oppose sitting Labour MP Emily Thornberry.
She is particularly concerned about education and the “shortcomings” of state schools in the area where she lives. It was why she and her husband sent their three sons to private school.
Ms Cox said that if the family were able to move into the borough – a difficult choice in the economic downturn – they would like to send their children to one of the two new Islington academy schools.
“Conservatives support the academy idea, with its outside sponsorship and independence, and would encourage more of these schools,” she said.
She wants more male teachers in primary schools, to provide desperately needed role models for boys.
Born and brought up in Hampshire, Ms Cox studied philosophy and history at Cambridge before going into investment banking for three-and-a-half years. “It is wealth creating but we now know there has been greed as well as government mismanagement,” she added.
Street crime is another issue of concern – her sons have been mugged for their mobile phones. “We must have more police on the beat,” she said.
Ms Cox believes leaseholders – owners of former council homes – have had a raw deal in Islington. “I discovered many leaseholders are frightened to open their post in case it’s a huge maintenance bill from Homes for Islington,” she said. “At the same time, some HfI officials are earning £180,000 a year, which is more than the prime minister. There’s something wrong there.” |
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