It was a real pleasure to welcome Kemi Badenoch MP to Croydon this evening.
Kemi has been the MP for Saffron Walden since 2017 and very quickly earned a reputation as an intelligent Conservative campaigner. So much so that in 2017 the Prime Minister appointed her to the position of Vice-Chair of the Conservative Party, with a special responsibility for finding and mentoring new election candidates at every level, particularly seeking out to encourage women and those from a BAME community to consider running for office.
It's a passion that I also share. I firmly believe that we need more people with more diverse experiences and points of view to run in elections - be it at the Council or Parliamentary level.
Croydon is a fantastic place to live, full of potential and with thousands from across the country and the world choosing to make it their home. The Council, and Parliament more generally, cannot hope to do what's in the best of our country if those who are currently not represented don't get involved in their communities. And that means running for election!
I get that it might be daunting - proactively choosing to have your friends and neighbours pass judgement on you at the ballot box - but it really needn't be.
If you are interested in finding out more about how you can represent your commnity on Croydon Council or in Parliament, then I'd be more than happy to discuss the process with you.
Being chosen to be a candidate for your home area, like I am in Croydon Central, is a huge honour. I want to encourage more in my borough to do the same.
If you'd like to learn more then please get in touch, I'd love to speak with you about how we can make our town and our country better together.
