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.”

Croydon Labour leader Tony Newman announces of his first cabinet

Top Labour Team

CROYDON Labour leader Tony Newman has unveiled his top team following a sensation victory in the local elections. Popular Councillor Stuart Collins has been given the brief of Clean Green Croydon in a newly created post of deputy. Respected Councillor Louisa Woodley will oversee safety and justice, whilst a new cabinet role of transport and environment has been created and will be taken on by rising star Councillor Kathy Bee.

Meanwhile senior Councillor Toni Letts will handle the portfolio of finance, a challenging brief but one well within her ability and experience to deliver on. Councillor Letts, a vocal spokesperson on domestic violence has captivated the imagination of Croydon’s women with her emotional account of her own experience of domestic abuse two years ago.

But there are already signs of rumblings in the Labour group, with Ms. Letts’ appointment being raised as a potential ‘conflict of interest’ by one Labour blog.

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. 

ARREST WARRANT Issued for Croydon Labour Waddon Candidate

Croydon Labour’s disastrous campaign received another blow today after an ARREST WARRANT was issued by the courts after one of the group’s former Waddon candidates skipped sentencing for a holiday in Turkey. David Christison, who is on benefits, was secretly partying in a posh holiday hotel in the sun – when he should have been sentenced for filming men urinating.

The exclusive scoop was secured in local newspaper The Croydon Advertiser – a paper branded ‘The Sadvertiser’ by Christison’s replacement, the controversial Andrew Pelling. 

Croydon Labour Leader Stumbles in First Leaders’ Radio Debate

Croydon Radio: Newman (Left) Fisher (Right)

Croydon Labour Leader Tony Newman repeatedly stumbled in the first Radio debate ahead of the Croydon Local Elections 2014. In the live interview on the In the Loop show hosted by Bieneosa Ebite, Newman went head-to-head against current Conservative Leader Mike Fisher in the first in a string of debates that will decide who governs Croydon for the next four years.

Labour’s Newman focussed the debate around Labour’s pocket manifesto entitled ‘Ambitious for Croydon’ but Fisher hit back claiming the document should be called ‘Ambivalent for Croydon’. On the attack, Fisher then said that the Labour leader makes a detailed pitch on what he wants to do for Croydon, but nowhere in the document does he explain how he is going to pay for it, accusing Labour of being dishonest with the people of Croydon.

Fisher then moved the debate onto Council Tax attacking Labour for increasing Council Tax by 27% and 36% when they were last in the Town Hall. Newman responded by saying that the Tories were obsessed with things that happened ten years ago, Fisher reminded Newman that the reason for this is that it was then that Labour were last in power.

Newman ended the debate by plugging his best friend Andrew Pelling, with Fisher saying “Let’s talk about Andrew Pelling shall we…” before the presenter cut the interview short.

The lacklustre performance from the usually booming and passionate Labour leader has underlined fears within the Labour group that its personal attack campaign is beginning to backfire badly in swing seats such as Waddon and New Addington.

Polling shows a close race in both seats with everything left to play for, but voters have become disenchanted with Labour due to its repeated attacks on the private lives, character and families of Conservative candidates via sites such as the Inside Croydon Blog, which Newman regularly writes for.

In one post, Local New Addington resident Tony Pearson is branded a ‘Pillock’, a fact that has not gone down well with local people in the marginal ward. “Conservative Councillor Tony Pearson is a decent, local family man who has lived in New Addington all his life and does not deserve this kind of personal abuse from Labour,” said one source.

*Listen to the show by clicking here

Croydon Labour’s ‘Staggering Hypocrisy’ Over Pledge to Tackle Wife Beaters

Betrayed: Domestic Violence Campaigner before her deselection

The Croydon Labour party was last night accused of staggering hypocrisy over its pledge to make tackling domestic violence a top priority – after The Croydon Gazette revealed that the group AXED its domestic violence spokesperson. Last summer the party ruthlessly deselected Karen Jewitt, a Woodside ward colleague of Labour Leader Tony Newman, despite many years of service to her constituents.

Jewitt, who campaigned relentlessly against wife beaters, once said, “The threat or reality of sexual and domestic violence impacts on the lives of many women. A third of all women experience domestic violence at some point in their lives, and around 25 London women are killed by their current or former partner each year.”

“Violence against women - especially domestic violence - has been identified as a key issue in all London boroughs in the crime audits and community safety plans drawn up under the Crime and Disorder Act,” she added.

Conservative members were left genuinely shocked at the sacking of a popular and well-liked woman who had campaigned for some of Croydon’s most vulnerable women.

It is understood that Jewitt was campaigning specifically around the growing problem of wife beaters using social media sites like blogs to target the friends and family members of their victims – a strategy to leave the victim feeling isolated and vulnerable.

A source inside Croydon Conservatives said, “We have a zero tolerance approach to wife beaters.”

In January the Metropolitan Police revealed a 15.5 per cent increase in domestic violence. Jewitt has since secured her position as a candidate in another seat. 

Why Croydon Labour’s New Addington Campaign is Faltering

Community First - but Labour have selected candidates who live elsewhere 

National polling has indicated a sharp post-budget bounce for the Conservatives, a factor which leaves the local elections in the London borough of Croydon too close to call. The Conservatives and Labour are locked in a bitter battle in the upwardly mobile New Addington ward, with issues such as Council Tax and local candidates being key issues on the agenda of local people.

The ward, once considered safe territory for Labour, was rocked at the last election when Conservative candidate Tony Pearson was elected in a surprise victory. Such an outcome should have immediately set alarm bells ringing amongst Labour strategists who could, and should have ensured local candidates were put forward for 2014. The Conservatives, seeing the opportunity to take two seats from Labour in its home turf have selected local New Addington residents Lara Fish and Tony Pearson again.

The sense of panic is the Labour campaign can be seen with the relentless arrival of Shadow Cabinet Ministers in New Addington, with Chuka Umunna, Rachel Reeves and even Alan Johnson making guest appearances in the ward. But Labour have struggled to justify the credibility of its candidates, choosing representatives who live in Thornton Heath and Shirley. In a tight-knit local community, the line “Not living in New Addington, but able to stand up for New Addington” is seen as an insult to local people.

Under the leadership of Tony Newman, the local Labour Party has also toxified its once loved working class brand, by launching a string of vicious attacks against Tony Pearson, despite the fact that he is known and well-liked in New Addington. In one post, an article on a Labour supporting blog had a photograph of Pearson next to the word ‘Pillock’ attacking his job. Another alleged Labour trainer claimed on Twitter that New Addington was ‘a hole’.

It is a strategy that more respectable, decent Labour Party members such as Gerry Ryan and Stuart Collins would never either endorse of encourage, but under Tony Newman negative, personal campaigning has become central to the Croydon Labour Party’s approach to politics. Mr Newman has been asked several times to condemn or distance himself from the muck throwing, but robustly defended it on live radio.

Ask anyone in the Council chamber or the town hall who has found themselves on the receiving end of Croydon Labour’s smear campaign or on the Inside Croydon blog and they will tell you just how nasty and rotten the once respected local party has become.

But residents in New Addington are not fools and regard the smearing of one of their own as an insult to their community and their town. Croydon Labour have the wrong strategy, the wrong candidates and the wrong leader, and voters will punish them heavily for it on May 22.

Outrage as Croydon Labour Activist Brands New Addington ‘A Hole’

New Addington residents under attack by Labour

The Croydon Labour party is facing fresh pressure to apologise to the residents of New Addington, after one of its most prominent activists branded the area ‘a hole’. The comments came from Christian Wilcox, who claims in online comments to be part of the Labour party’s training team, triggered outrage on social networking sites.

Responding to the attack on New Addington, the area he grew up in, Councillor Tony Pearson tweeted, “Labour show what they really think about #NewAddington. They call it 'a hole'. Disgrace.”

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. 

Bullying Allegations Threaten to Derail Labour’s Croydon Campaign

Bullying emails - Senior Labour Figure in Croydon

A string of leaked internal emails could derail the Labour’s Party’s bid to retake Croydon in the May Local Elections 2014. The correspondence which has been seen in hardcopy by the Croydon Gazette and other national newspapers reveals a series of threatening emails directed at a Labour activist by a senior figure in the Croydon Labour party.

The emails – which have yet to be put into the public domain – shed new light on the division that has split the Labour group in two, wrecking campaign progress in key wards like Addiscombe and Waddon with activists refusing to campaign for key candidates.

The volcanic rows and split within the Croydon Labour party was underlined by the brutal and some would say suspicious sacking of the party’sdomestic violence guru Karen Jewitt. Ms Jewitt, who was well liked on both sides of the Council chamber was ruthlessly unseated by Hamida Ali, a newcomer and close friend of Croydon Labour Leader Tony Newman. 

Growing Fears Over Croydon Labour’s Council Tax Rise Rumours

Croydon Labour Council Tax Bombshell - Council Tax was Increased by 27.3% Previously

Hardworking residents were dismayed last night after the Croydon Labour group failed to support the Conservative proposal to freeze Council Tax and provide residents with a £25 cash rebate. Despite Labour opposition to the freeze in costs for families in areas like Waddon, Addiscombe and New Addington, the budget was passed by the Conservatives who were committed to bring down household bills.

There are growing fears amongst residents that the Croydon Labour group is planning one of its famous tax bombshell rises. The Labour group increased Council Tax on hardworking families in Croydon by 27.3% duringtheir last time in office, leaving thousands of residents worse off to the tune of £150 plus.

Croydon Labour Gets Nasty in New Addington

Local Man: Cllr Tony Pearson in New Addington 

The Croydon Labour Party has ramped up is negative campaign against Conservative incumbent, Councillor Tony Pearson. 

The increasingly personal campaign through social media around Mr Pearson’s job, has triggered speculation that the Labour Group’s botched selection process and lack of policies in New Addington could add two more seats to the Conservatives majority come May.

Tony Pearson has lived in New Addington with his wife and family most of his life and is a well-known figure in the local community. By contrast, the Labour candidates several miles away from New Addington and have never lived there.  

Smears: How one Labour-supporting
blog attacks Pearson

The sense of panic in the Labour group has been underlined by the arrival of several high profile Labour figures in New Addington. Former Minister Alan Johnson, Shadow Minister Rachel Reeves and current Croydon North MP Steve Reed have all been spotted in the area recently.

In 2003, the Croydon Labour Party increased Council Tax on residents by 27.3%, hitting low paid workers in New Addington particularly hard. The rise was so severe that a petition was launched, attracting 16,000 signatures.

Tony Pearson and the Conservatives by contrast have frozen Council Tax and given New Addington residents a £25 rebate. 

Croydon Residents Fear Labour 27% Council Tax Bombshell

Hard-pressed residents in the London Borough of Croydon are living in fear of a massive Council Tax rise if the Labour group get in at the Local elections in May. The previous Labour administration increased Council Tax on residents by a whopping 27.3% in a single year, leaving many working households struggling to pay bills and feed their families.

So devastating was the rise on household incomes, that a public petition was launched attracting over 15,000 signatures.

A 27% increase for an average household could cost hundreds of pounds, meaning family summer holidays could be cancelled and leisure time scrapped.

The current Conservative Council has frozen Council tax and even managed to give residents a £25 cash rebate, just in time for the World Cup celebrations. 

Croydon Conservatives’ Council Tax Freeze Puts Labour on Ice

The Croydon Conservative policy to freeze Council tax for every household in the borough has further damaged the Labour group’s chances in key marginal swing seats, heaping pressure on beleaguered Labour leader Tony Newman to raise his game. The key policy includes a £25 rebate for residents across the borough and is expected to resonate well with hard-up families struggling with the costs of living.

The Croydon Labour group is still haunted by its reputation for promoting and supporting massive Council Tax rises, which have previously pushed up family bills by hundreds of pounds. The last time Croydon Labour were elected into the town hall, Council Tax was increased by a whopping 27.3% in a single year, the move left thousands of families struggling to make ends meet and find the extra money.

The Council Tax ‘fear factor’ is understood to be a key challenge for Labour in previously safe wards such as New Addington, where workers on modest incomes could be hit hard by any rise in tax if Labour are elected. The sense of Labour panic in New Addington has been underlined by visits from an unusually high number of Shadow Cabinet Ministers in the last few weeks.

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."

Inside Croydon's Steven Downes in Race Row Over Tweets at Indian-born Cllr

War of the Tweets - Steven Downes, Editor of Inside Croydon and Vidhi Mohan, Conservative Councillor - with images of the tweets

A senior Croydon Conservative Councillor has hit out at a string of offensive tweets posted by the leading Labour-supporting blog Inside Croydon. Indian-born Vidhi Mohan, a respected family man, was said to be horrified at the comments, which included references to his passport status and suggested that his party ´could not find a BME member with a passport.´ [BME stands for black and minority ethnic].

The Inside Croydon site is edited by Steven Downes who hit the headlines after publishing untrue allegations about Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell. The site´s Special Correspondent is Andrew Pelling, recently unveiled as the leading Labour candidate in Waddon, following stints as an Independent and a Tory for over a decade. In a recent interview with the Croydon Guardian, Andrew Pelling said, “We'll run a positive campaign.”

Vidhi Mohan said to Steven Downes, “How did my not having a UK passport in 2005 affect my ability to serve Fairfield residents? Racist and offensive blog!”

Steven Downes denied that the tweets were racist, he tweeted, "How is identifying you as not holding a UK passport when seeking election in Croydon racist?"

Pelling’s Blog Turns Fire on Croydon Labour Deputy Stuart Collins

There were further developments in the so-called ‘Pelling Revolution’ this evening as covert photographs taken at the Wandle Park revival day were published online by Labour supporting blog Inside Croydon. The images depicted respected senior Labour Councillor and Deputy Leader Stuart Collins having drinks with a Conservative Councillor with the caption, “No prizes for naming who are in the VIP area, with the free Pimms, at Wandle Park.”

The blog is authored by Steven Downes and Andrew Pelling, the former Tory who is said to be at the forefront of Croydon Labour’s transformation. He was given maximum publicity and the flagship seat of Waddon just weeks ago.

The revelations that Mr Collins is being targeted by his own side will come as shock to local Labour loyalists, who are already reeling from the sacking and public humiliation of domestic violence campaigner Karen Jewitt and Paul Smith.

Three More Croydon Labour Councillors Lose Seats in ‘Pelling Revolution’



Labour loyalists out, former Tories in

Three Croydon loyal Labour Councillors have been denied a seat, despite many years of service and devotion to the party. The news follows the public humiliation and deselection of popular local Councillor and vocal campaigner against domestic violence Karen Jewitt, a decision which shocked grassroots Labour party members across the country.

Labour members are said to be ‘terrified’ about losing their seats and are keeping quiet about recent developments for fear of upsetting Labour leader Tony Newman. Ms Jewitt’s sacking was communicated to Labour members and the public through Inside Croydon, a blog at which former Tory Andrew Pelling is Special Correspondent. It said she ‘fails to win selection’. 

Labour Values Out? Karen Jewitt has been denied a seat

Last night at the full Council meeting at Croydon town hall, Karen Jewitt, a familiar face in the Labour group and a popular figure even with the Conservatives, was not present. Ms. Jewitt gave her apologies, but local Conservatives tweeted that it was ‘sad’ that she felt she couldn’t attend.

The restructuring of the Labour group has been dubbed ‘The Pelling Revolution’ by local residents. Despite a career as a Tory Councillor, Tory MP and Tory GLA member, Andrew Pelling was selected for the crucial seat of Waddon.

It is widely expected that a Pelling victory in a ward that holds the balance of power will trigger an immediate cabinet promotion.