All BME female shortlist for Woodford and Chingford

The Labour party are pinning their hopes on one of four brilliant BME women to unseat Ian Duncan Smith MP in any forth-coming General election.

The Woodford and Chingford seat, a once Conservative strong hold has been whittled down to a slim 2000 majority In recent years . Labour now see it as a key target seat and will throw huge resources to capture this prized seat that used to be represented  by Winston Churchill no less.

Wooford and Chingford, like many areas of London, has undergone huge demographic changes. It’s become a popular place for many new people coming to the area, including the ‘twenty –thirty year olds who have  come for the good  schools and to live and buy property there in this green part of London . Many of these new residents are not from the area, and who may not have the same traditional voting patterns.

In the past OBV have been extremely vocal about the ill treatment of former local Labour Candidate Bilal Mahmood, who worked hard in the area for 6 years and considerably brought down the voting majority only to be shunted out by an all women’s short list . Labour have rightly responded by ensuring that BME talent shines through by ensuring that this is an all BME female  Labour slate.

Whoever wins this fight this Sunday will face a huge task in unseating the Conservative big political beast that is Ian Duncan Smith.

But anyone of this four dynamic women could potentially make history and transform Labour party fortunes.

The four candidates are: Faiza Shaheen, Waltham Forest councillor Yemi Osho, former Richmond Park candidate Cate Tuitt and Islington councillor Michelline Safi Ngongo.

Simon Woolley