#GEIV [Central England] Proud-Marketing-2021 delivers a speech unveiling his campaign to unseat the Home Secretary

I only recently joined the Labour Party, because I believe it stands today as the most credible challenger to a government and a ruling order that simply isn’t working. My shadow constituency office is in Coventry, and when I walk through the streets, I see deprivation. I see people angry at one another. I see antisocial behaviour becoming normalised. And I see a society that is, ultimately, frightened of itself.

To me, the reason for this is clear: when you pour all your resources into city merchants, high-rise flats, and gentrification, ordinary people get left behind, and social disorder fills the vacuum. The type of Labour Party I want to be part of, and the type of government I would want to serve in, is one that is tough on crime and tough on the consequences of crime.

Your elderly neighbour shouldn’t be afraid to carry coins in her purse in case she’s mugged. Your coffee shop owner should be able to put out chairs and tables on a sunny day without worrying that disaffected kids will trash them. And those same disaffected kids shouldn’t feel that a life of crime and ASBOs is all that awaits them. They should have real opportunities, real employment pathways, and real support.

Toryism has failed to address these things because it has neglected the wider responsibilities of national governance. Britain has been left behind. Central England has been left behind. And the Home Secretary is as much a contributor to that failure as anyone else. I believe it is a civic duty to do everything I can to unseat him.

My main gripe is that we’ve sacrificed safety on the streets and bobbies on the beat for namby‑pambyism. People don’t want uniformed officers who only appear when there’s a social media spat. They want officers on the street, day after day, building connections with communities and being a visible presence that keeps people safe.

The outcry over Henry Nowak’s recent passing was unjustifiable in terms of the damage caused by rioting and the abuse police suffered. But the reality is this: there is a perception that police aren’t allowed to do the job of a “proper copper” anymore.

Labour’s manifesto pledges to reintroduce double foot patrols, making policing visible, human, and connected. The Tory manifesto, by contrast, has one line about law and order: boosting funding for legal aid. Whatever one thinks about fair trials, that sends a clear message. This government is more interested in defending criminals with taxpayer money than deterring crime. It stinks.

But policing alone won’t fix deeper issues. Labour’s manifesto is full of meaningful solutions to the underlying causes of crime. We will make job centres meaningful again, expand industrial apprenticeships, and work with commercial partners to give young people real economic security. Deprivation and a lack of social cohesion are major contributors to crime, and our strategy is to reintegrate disenfranchised communities, make people feel understood, and make them feel valued.

If we keep leaving people behind, things will only get worse. Central England deserves better, and I’m standing to deliver it.