Chuka Umunna (Labour)

Its HERE! Throughout February wera.org.uk are interviewing the four parliamentary candidates who all strive to be the new MP for Streatham Constituency (covering Streatham and parts of Clapham, Balham, Tulse Hill and Brixton) WERA.org.uk is helping you make your choice of who should be your next MP before you cast your vote at the Local and National Elections later this year.

Other Interviews:

Keith Hill MP... Click here to view

Susan Sheehan... Click here to view
Richard Rivers-Simpson... Click here to view

Diana Morris... Click here to view
PCSO Karen Rose... Click here to view

Sabina Joseph... Click here to view
Steve Reed... Click here to view

Nick Ephgrave... Click here to view

Val Shawcross... Click here to view

Patrick Horgan... Click here to view

Lib Peck... Click here to view

Derrick Anderson... Click here to view

Cathy Deplessis... Click here to view

Chris Adamson... Click here to view

Here we have tackled some of the questions you may want to know and EXCLUSIVELY who they are as people. Read below the exclusive interview of your first candidate only here on www.wera.org.uk WERA Asks. So who is it this week?...

Who are you?

Chuka Umunna – Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham, a parliamentary constituency covering Streatham and parts of Clapham, Balham, Tulse Hill and Brixton.

Can you please tell us your background other than political?

I have lived in the constituency my entire life (save for a stint away studying). I have practiced as a solicitor specialising in employment law since 2004. I have served as a trustee of several youth charities and have been a governor of Sunnyhill Primary School in Streatham since 2006. I am also a freelance journalist and have written for a variety of publications including the Guardian, the New Statesman and the Financial Times.

What makes you want to be a Member of Parliament for the Streatham Constituency?

During the 1980s this area suffered disproportionately from the adverse affects of Thatcherism and, even at a young age, this made a big impression on me. I am also part Nigerian and have visited Africa many times – it is an amazing continent but it has its problems, poverty prime amongst them. As a child I simply could not understand why some had so much, whilst others had so little. From there sprung a desire to do something about it and the other challenges we face, which has never left me. I want to change the world for the better and the world starts at your doorstep! Above all, this is the community I am from and it would be fantastic to be able to put something back.

If elected how would you benefit the residents and their association on the Weir Estate?

An MP with wonderful policies and principles is useless if they are lazy. Our current Labour MP, Keith Hill, has been an assiduous constituency MP and I have every intention of following his example - I have been helping staff his constituency surgeries for over 4 years now. If residents and the association have any issues they wish to raise with me and want action taken, I will ensure I am always accessible and will work hard to address their problems. Soon after being selected I met with the WERA Chair, went on a walkabout on the estate and pursued Lambeth Living in relation to the replacement of residents windows – I intend to continue in this vein.

If elected what will you be seeking to change in your constituency within the first year?

Housing and transport are key. We need to fundamentally transform the housing market so that we have a diverse, mixed economy in housing and can offer a range of affordable choices for everyone – I will do all I can to make this a reality in Streatham. We also need improved transport links, particularly to areas slightly out on a limb (so to speak) like that where the estate is situated.

What steps will you be taking as Parliamentary Candidate to engage with residents and hear their views?

I would continue with Keith’s regular programme of surgeries. I am already using online and social media to interact with people in the community and also use tradition methods to communicate with people offline too – that would continue. I would continue to attend as many community meetings as possible, be they Safer Neighbourhood Panel meetings or area forum gatherings. This list is not exhaustive.

Who is the most influential person you have ever met and why?

Probably Tony Blair in 1998 when he was at the height of his powers and popularity.

What aspects of society would you like to see changed?

Our community in Streatham has massively benefited from the last decade of Labour government in many areas but the gap between the rich and the poor is still too big, there are still people living in poverty, we need better and more affordable homes, more school places and people want more of a say over their lives. I am not afraid to say this and will work to build a fairer, more equal, democratic and environmentally sustainable Streatham.

Do you have a famous quote that best sums up your take on life?

One of them has to be – “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” by Martin Luther King.

Please tell us an interesting fact about yourself.

I used to work in the Box Office at Selhurst Park stadium in the ‘90s when it was home to Crystal Palace F.C. (my team) and Wimbledon F.C. – on match days I often manned the Away Box Office (the customers, particularly from Millwall and West Ham, were not always polite!).

What makes you unique from the other candidates?

If elected, I would become the first MP for this constituency to have lived and grown up in the area. I feel blessed to be my party’s candidate in the community that I’m from; it would be a greater privilege to represent local people as your MP.

What does Community mean to you?

Interdependence – each individual in the community is only as strong as the weakest person in it which is why we all need to work together to improve and change things. Without a strong community, each of us cannot reach our full potential.

How do you relax after a long day?

I either go to the gym or relax in the company of family and close friends.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the constituency at the moment?

• the economy and the ongoing recession;

• anti-social behaviour, prostitution and burglary;

• ensuring that the supply of school places meets demand;

• ensuring that everyone has access to high quality, affordable, decent housing and housing services;

• funding for the provision of activities for our youth;

• the regeneration of Streatham High Road and our main thoroughfares;

•improved public transport links to the area; and,

• promoting environmentally sustainable living in the area and reducing the litter and pollution on our streets.

What is your local connection to this constituency?

I grew up here and have lived here all of my life (save for a few years studying in the North of England and in France).

What do you believe makes your constituency stand out?

I never say “my” constituency because I do not presume I will be elected – that is up to local people; I prefer to say “our” constituency. I would say it is the sense of community here, our youth (we are one of the youngest constituencies in the country) and our cultural diversity.

What words sum up your political ambitions?

Fairness, equality, democracy and environmental sustainability.

What do you think is the biggest environmental issues in this constituency and how do you plan to remedy this?

We need to reduce our carbon emissions nationally so that the UK’s carbon emissions have peaked by 2020 and reduce thereafter, if we want to stop catastrophic climate change which would radically alter the way we live in this constituency. Many people living here, like myself, also have relatives abroad living in those countries scientists predict would be hardest hit.

We can not tackle this issue in isolation in this constituency or, indeed, as a country – we can only address this issue at a global level, working with our European partners and the wider international community, which is why the Copenhagen summit is so crucial.

Personally I think we need to increase our use of renewable technology and clean coal, and we need to build nuclear power stations in the short to medium term – we need a good energy mix; in the long term I would like to see us more towards introducing personal carbon allowances.

With the general election fast approaching, what are your views on the performance of central government?

Since 1997, we have employed over 160 extra teachers in our schools here, built new secondary (e.g. Lambeth Academy) and primary (e.g. Jubilee Primary) schools, introduced Safer Neighbourhood Teams and Panels into every ward, put in place 6 new or improved health centres (e.g. Gracefield Gardens) and funded and/or built 9 children’s centres (e.g. The Weir Link). That is a record I am tremendously proud of. However, our work is not finished and I would never claim that we are now without problems. We need better and more affordable housing (and better housing services!), we need more things for our young people to do and we need to reduce our carbon emissions amongst other things – I will work to address the outstanding issues (for which, see my answers in 14. above).

How and when should residents contact you?

My email address is chuka@streathamlabour.org.uk
I can be contacted at 020 7501 4111.
My address is: Streatham Labour Party, PO Box 59960, London, SW16 9AA.