A London Black Mayor? History in the making

With Diane Abbott MP officially throwing her hat into the ring to become London’s Mayor in 2016 the capital has potentially three outstanding BME candidates who could make history and lead our metropolis.

Abbott now joins David Lammy MP and potentially Sadiq Khan MP as one of three Labour candidates who are vying for the Labour nomination to become Mayor. There’s also talk about the Conservatives putting forward Shaun Bailey.

With present Mayor Boris Johnson likely to stand down to further his Westminster career, each of the three will feel they have every chance of winning one of the most prized post in British politics - Mayor of London.

They will be heartened by what they saw in New York when Bill de Blasio, his mixed heritage family a symbol of progressive America, was elected the city’s Mayor. They will also hope that London, one of the world's great capital cities, can symbolise its modernity, diversity and inclusive policies, by electing its first Black Mayor.

Of course London, like New York, will not vote for a candidate based on colour (and nor should it) but having a political climate that is conducive to embracing a Black Mayor is of itself a sign of progression.

Luckily London is virtually UKIP free...the dislike and hatred of those that look different has shown not to be a factor here in the capital.

So we could make history and by doing so we’ll not only be a beacon of hope to those in the capital and right across the UK, but also throughout Europe too.

There’s a long way to go before the Mayoral elections of 2016. But if we want big change then, we too will have to play our part by engaging in the political process  as never before.

Simon Woolley