Waddon By-Election Cancelled as Pelling Fails the Shortlist

Waddon - by-election on ice 

The much anticipated Waddon by-election has been put on ice, as Labour Councillor Andrew Pelling failed to make the shortlist for Holborn and St Pancras.

Local residents had previously criticised the former Tory grandee over his decision to seek selection outside of Croydon. One resident told TheCroydon Guardian, “He should return his very generous taxpayer-funded council salary and step down immediately so a committed candidate can represent the area.”

UKIP Voters Hand Labour the Keys to Croydon

UKIP protest voters have helped the Labour Party take control of the London Borough of Croydon. Despite a flawed campaign with mixed messages, dodgy candidates and a record of increasing Council Tax by 27% in a single year, the Labour Group sleepwalked to victory due to a rise on UKIP votes, costing the Conservatives the critical wards of Waddon and Ashburton. 

Residents are now eagerly awaiting the formal appointment of the bitterly divided Labour group to see how it performs in office. The group has already called and emergency budget which will include costing an allocation of its supersize shopping list of election pledges. There are fears that delivering these promises on a shoestring budget can only be achieved by deep cuts to public services, a large Council Tax Rise or eating into the Council’s treasured reserve fund. History is a about to repeat itself

Labour on Course to Lose Croydon as Party Abandons Swing Ward

Colourful Character: Labour voters have failed to warm to Andrew Pelling

The Croydon Labour Party’s heroic bid to reclaim the swing ward of Waddon has spectacularly failed, with all resources being diverted to Ashburton. Private Polling from the Conservatives has shown a bounce in support for the group following its policy to freeze Council Tax and the launch of the new leisure centre.

Eye witnesses have told The Croydon Gazette that there are no tellers at the polling stations in Waddon, even in some of Labour’s best areas. The revelations fly in the face of Labour Leader Tony Newman’s recent claims that he has picked a ‘dream team’ for the area.

Rewind just two years ago during the Mayoral elections and Waddon was a polled as a decisive Labour win. All that changed when the group appointed controversial former Tory Andrew Pelling whose electromagnetic ability to attract negative publicity has derailed the Labour Party’s campaign.

A former Conservative colleague of Pelling told this newspaper, “Andrew will explode like a volcano if he doesn’t get in, he was clearly planning to take over the Labour Group, become a Labour MP and challenge Ed Miliband for party leader. Since he was caught secretly standing in Carshalton, Labour and the people of Waddon have been very suspicious of him and that has seriously damaged Labour’s campaign in Waddon.

The source continued, “If he fails in what should be an easy win for Labour, there will be question marks over whether he has lost his mojo and is actually repelling voters as a political liability. Croydon Labour need a winner, not a loser, and Andrew’s repeated political failures put him firmly in the loser category.”

Would-be Croydon Labour MP Threatens Colleague Over Ex-wife Claims

Chilling: Leaked emails reveal a libel dispute in the Croydon Labour group

He’s been billed by the Labour party as the candidate who can ‘put the fear of God into people’, and by the looks of these leaked emails, Waddon candidate Andrew Pelling is living up to his reputation.

So when lifelong Labour supporter Anthony Miller wrote a piece on an incident involving the former Tory’s ex-wife, he soon found himself locked in a libel dispute in a string of chilling emails leaked to The Croydon Gazette.   

The emails, which were sent by Steven Downes, editor of the Inside Croydon blog, of which Pelling is special correspondent, warn Mr Miller that he will now have to live with the consequences of his actions. Pelling, now a high profile Labour Parliamentary candidate is clearly copied into the correspondence but does not respond to the mail chain.

The emails expose the bizarre and powerful influence Mr Pelling has over Mr Downes, a former journalist turned blogger, who is not thought to possess any formal legal qualifications.

The revelations follow a string of disclosures in the Croydon local press that the Labour group is ‘in turmoil’ and tearing itself apart. 

Mr Miller refused to comment on the emails when approached by the Croydon Gazette. 

Croydon Labour Campaigned for Public Toilets as Waddon Candidate Photographed Men Urinating

Labour Leaders: Tony Newman with David Christison in Waddon

The Croydon Labour Party ran a borough-wide campaign calling for the opening of more public toilets, whilst its leading candidate was secretly filming men urinating.

Writing in local newspaper The Croydon Guardian, Councillor Timothy Godfrey who represents the Selhurst Ward claimed, "Labour Councillors in South Norwood worked hard to find an appropriate site and negotiated proper toilet facilities in the Station. Only problem is that Croydon Council have failed to work with the railway company so the toilets remain shut.”

In another campaign, Councillor Pat Ryan raised awareness of public toilet provisions, "There was also a problem with drug users and people loitering about and intimidating others.”

The news comes as Labour’s flagship Waddon candidate David Christison is due to be sentenced at Croydon Magistrates' Court after secretly filming men urinating in the Centrale shopping centre's toilets. David Christison was, until his suspension, one of the Croydon Labour party’s leading political strategists, serving as Secretary of West Thornton and leading the group’s campaign in Waddon where he hoped to become a Councillor.

He is also a close personal friend of Labour Leader Tony Newman who co-launched a campaign to overturn the Waddon election in the High Court after Christison lost by 500 votes. It was subsequently revealed that Christison, who is on benefits, used a legal loophole as a benefits claimant to ensure the election petition was funded entirely by taxpayers, to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds. Tony Newman was then photographed with Christison for the petition in the local newspapers, the pair were dressed smartly in suits.

But Labour will today be facing serious questions about how a man like Christison was able to reach the core of the Labour Party and have such influence over policy in his role in a Senior role as Secretary.

Many see the latest Labour scandal as part of a wider problem in the Labour Group, where under the leadership of Tony Newman, some of the worst and most controversial candidates in living memory have been put forward for marginal seats. 

Croydon Labour Sex Offender Charged Taxpayers Tens of Thousands of Pounds for Election Challenge

Shameless: Croydon Labour bid

Shamed Waddon Labour candidate David Christison used taxpayers’ money to challenge the result of a recent Council election, costing tens of thousands of pounds. 

 

Despite losing by over 500 votes, Christison used the fact he was living on benefits to secure legal aid and launched a high profile campaign with Croydon Labour leader Tony Newman to overturn the election result. The controversial legal challenge also cost Croydon Council over £10,000, money which could have been spent on better facilities for residents. 

Christison stood for Labour in Waddon in 2010 alongside Labour colleagues Hamida Ali and Joy Prince. He was a high profile figure in the Council chamber and often joined in debates until his arrest and Police formally charging him. For the 2014 elections, 

Hamida Ali is now standing in another ward, but Prince is standing alongside Andrew Pelling and Robert Canning. It is understood that Christison did not make the shortlist.

Croydon Labour’s Waddon Candidate Pleads Guilty to Filming Men Urinating in Public Toilets

Guilty: Labour's Waddon candidate with Tony Newman,
Leader of the Croydon Labour Party

Labour’s former candidate David Christison has pled guilty to filming men going to the toilet on 30 occasions in Centrale shopping centre, in Croydon town centre, between April 2011 and March 2013.

Police were called to the shopping centre on April 28 last year by security guards who said Christison was in the public toilets covertly taking pictures and videoing other men urinating.

He was pointed out to security staff by a member of the public, who had witnessed a man behaving strangely with his phone.

When police came, his phone was checked and a video of another man urinating was found.

The former Labour candidate will be sentenced on March 20 at Croydon Magistrates’ Court and his bail conditions remain that he is not able to use the public toilets within the Centrale Shopping Centre.

In summer last year, Labour Leader Tony Newman replaced Mr Christison as the Waddon candidate with Andrew Pelling, who was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his pregnant wife, but not charged. 

Waddon Leisure Centre Celebrates Its First Anniversary

The Waddon Leisure Centre, backed, built and delivered by Croydon’s Conservative Council has celebrated its first anniversary. The building, used by local residents from all around the borough of Croydon has proved a real hit with residents and is now the central point for community activities.

The project has come under heavy attack from Labour Party blogs and supporters, who are running an anti-Croydon campaign which has caused huge damage to the town’s reputation. Despite these negative attacks, users of the leisure centre are very supportive. The facilities include a pool, gym, spinning studio and basketball court.

Croydon Labour’s Flagship Candidate Secretly ‘Shortlisted’ in Carshalton, Claims Labour Blog

Eyes on another borough? Labour sources suggest Andrew Pelling is seeking to be MP elsewhere

There was fresh embarrassment for the Croydon Labour Party tonight, after the Labour History blog made claims that Waddon candidate Andrew Pelling was on the shortlist to become the MP of Carshalton and Wallington. The Labour History blog is widely regarded to be a reputable source, with over 7,000 twitter followers, including several senior members of the Croydon Labour party and the shadow cabinet, but the Croydon Gazette has yet to verify the claims despite repeated attempts to contact the Labour press office.  

If true, the scandal will pile further pressure on Croydon Labour leader Tony Newman, already heavily criticised for overseeing the appointment of some of the worst candidates in the Labour group’s electoral history, whilst dumping traditional supporters. The announcement was picked up by local journalist Gareth Davies, who claimed that the tweet could signal that Mr Pelling had bigger ambitious. Along with the majority of people in Croydon, Mr Davies has been frequently targeted by the Inside Croydon blog, of which Mr Pelling is special correspondent, the site’s editor is Steven Downes. The pair’s online antics and savage attacks have sent shockwaves through the local political community, a strategy which Labour Leader Newman refuses to condemn despite outcry from the general public.

Whilst electoral rules do allow politicians to run as parliamentary candidates whilst holding the job of a Councillor elsewhere, it would be unprecedented for an elected MP to continue with Council duties, particularly if the job resided within another constituency. Given the electoral timetable, that would mean that if Mr Pelling was successful in Waddon next Spring and was successful a year later at the general election in 2015 as an MP, he would come under political pressure to resign from the Croydon Council role after serving for only 12 months in the job, a move which would trigger a costly by-election which could place a heavy burden on Labour’s already limited finances.

Strange, but true?

The news was greeted with much amusement by local Conservative activists, “If this is true then we should hold a town party to celebrate, let’s hope he takes Downes with him and they can set up ‘Inside Carshalton’ together."

Croydon Labour Criticised for ‘Disgraceful’ Campaigning During Wandle Park Opening

Community event becomes a Labour rally with balloons and placards

The Wandle Park community celebration on Saturday was hijacked by Labour activists who were trying to win votes. Whilst local people gathered in the sunshine to watch the orchestra and eat ice cream, a band of Labour activists stormed into the park waving placards, wearing red rosettes and giving out red balloons to residents.

The publicity stunt was condemned by local Conservative Councillors as ‘disgraceful’. Cabinet member Vidhi Mohan tweeted, “Unfortunate that Andrew Pelling using the #WandleParkRevival for political campaigning for @CroydonLabour. This is a community event.”

Cabinet member Michael Neal said, “Disgraceful that the Labour activists in Waddon played party politics at the opening of Wandle Park Revival distributing leaflets.”

Witnesses told The Croydon Gazette that some of the balloons had Andrew Pelling’s face printed on them. But his blog Inside Croydon hit back at the allegations, “If someone said that, then they must have been lying.”

Labour Select Arrest-Scandal Ex-Tory for Waddon

Andrew Pelling: Waddon's candidate

With a crunch Council election on the cards in 2014, the local Labour group have decided to play a wild card by selecting controversial candidate Andrew Pelling, a former Tory for the Waddon ward.

Welcoming Andrew Pelling’s selection as the candidate in crucial Waddon ward, Labour Leader Tony Newman admitted Mr Pelling was likely to be motivated by revenge.

“(Getting back at the Tories) was probably his initial motivation when he joined the party, but he really has done the groundwork since then,” he said.

But Conservative Council leader Mike Fisher said, “As it is, I know a number of people in the Labour group are deeply wary of Andrew.”

Pelling hit the headlines after working as a city banker whilst on paid sick leave from the House of Commons.

The Conservatives withdrew the Tory whip from Andrew Pelling over allegations he assaulted his wife Lucy, who was pregnant at the time. He was not charged. His ex-wife made a number of other allegations about Mr Pelling in the local press about his opinion of Croydon voters.

The Labour Party welcomed him into the party in 2011.