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We all need a little extra
• BEFORE I ask Antonia Cox about her politics, may I welcome her to Islington South and Finsbury as the Conservative parliamentary candidate (Will Emily accept rise? April 10)? We are both mothers of three children and will share a common insight into the difficulties faced by many working women – although we may well disagree on the best way of tackling their issues.
As Ms Cox campaigns, she will discover this is the best constituency in the country. She will discover our boisterous confidence, our famed diversity and our persistence in tackling the problems of our area. These problems are often concealed from those looking at Islington from outside by the media stereotype of leafy lanes, Georgian squares and coffee shops. That stereotype does exist, but so does the half of Islington more often overlooked by the media: the half which makes our borough the sixth poorest in the country.
The only way to tackle Islington’s stubborn child poverty figures is to step in, to intervene. We must build more rented social housing (the only sort of affordable housing that can help the 13,000 families on the housing waiting list), we must continue to invest in government programmes like Sure Start and children’s centres, and we must make sure people have enough money to live in what is one of the most expensive areas in the country.
To make sure families can afford to live in Islington, I have been pushing, along with other London Labour MPs, for local benefits and tax credits to be increased to a higher level for London residents. This principle is well-established for people earning salaries or wages. There are calls from many politicians, unions and other organisations for a minimum London Living Wage to reflect the higher cost of everything in the city, from housing to food and childcare.
I believe MPs who employ constituency staff in inner London should pay them London wages. It’s not right that MPs who employ staff in the Outer Hebrides get the same staffing allowance as those in inner London – and I have urged the parliamentary authorities to change this. In the meantime I have claimed the allowance paid to me as a London MP and transferred it entirely to my caseworkers.
But I believe all Londoners need this kind of extra support – not just those on salaries or earning wages, but also those seeking work, those unable to work and those being supported to work through tax credits.
I hope I have answered Ms Cox’s question; perhaps she would answer a question from me? Does she agree that all Londoners – whether receiving a regular salary, living on the minimum wage, claiming working tax credits or receiving job seekers’ allowance – should receive London-weighted incomes?
I believe we need to be bold and radical to tackle issues such as the extreme inequality we see around us. The people of Islington have an innate sense of fairness – tackling this problem is what they want their politicians to do.
EMILY THORNBERRY
Labour MP, Islington South and Finsbury
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