A Labour Councillor representing South Acton is setting his sights on becoming the Labour candidate for Stevenage at the next general election.
Having been elected as a Labour councillor for South Acton in May, Callum Anderson is wooing local Labour members in the Stevenage constituency to become the parliamentary candidate for the party when the next election is announced.
Through social media, he revealed: “I’ve put myself forward to be Stevenage Labour’s parliamentary candidate at the next election. The last Labour Government transformed my life – I’m proud of what our Party achieved. It’s time for our Party to step up for towns like Stevenage again.”
Councillor Anderson is one of seven people who have made it to the long list for selection with shortlisting due to be announced soon and hustings to take place in November.
In a campaign website and video to become the candidate, Councillor Anderson talked about his background, being born in Luton and brought alone by his mother in a Dunstable council flat during the 1990s and his work to help others. He spoke of how Labour winning in 1994 changed things for him.
He said: “It was thanks to a Labour Government that invested in families like ours. From a minimum wage, tax credits and record investment in state schools that I was able to be part of a legacy which included lifting one million children out of poverty.”
Councillor Anderson was previously selected by Labour to be its candidate in the 2019 General Election when he stood in South West Bedfordshire. He came second to Andrew Selous (Conservative) who got 32,212 votes compared to 13,629 votes he got.
In his message to Labour members, he revealed that he joined the Labour party at the age of 18 and says he has the ability to make change.
He said: “I’ve dedicated my entire working life to increasing economic opportunities for ordinary families in Britain. I began my career at national charities — taking on loan sharks and payday lenders, helping to change minds in Westminster and beyond, and persuading the UK’s financial conduct regulator to introduce an interest rate cap on loans, and promoting the use of credit unions and other responsible lenders. I have subsequently worked in local government and various trade associations, making sure small businesses get the help they needed to support their workers and survive the worst of the pandemic.
“I now work for a leading financial services company, where I help companies of all types and sizes access the finance they need to innovate and create good, sustainable jobs, while also making sure they meet their climate commitments.”
Councillor Anderson added that he has spent years working to promote Labour values and said: “Getting a Labour Government runs through places like Stevenage. A town that desperately needs a Labour MP. We need a champion and I want to be that champion. With me as your candidate, you get an experienced campaigner with genuine life experience outside of politics, with the ability to reach the types of voters that Labour in Stevenage needs for its next voting coalition.”
Since announcing his intentions to stand earlier this month, Councillor Anderson has been actively gaining endorsements from other Labour members including Ealing North MP James Murray and Greenford Broadway Councillor Varlene Alexander.
EALING.NEWS reached out to Callum Anderson to ask for an interview about his campaign to become the Labour candidate for Stevenage but he declined our request.
