Yahoo News New Croydon East MP Natasha Irons promises to 'put young people front and centre'
Labour continued their winning ways by gaining the newly formed Croydon East seat, with Natasha Irons as its first-ever MP. The seat was created following the boundary changes in 2023 and takes on part of the former Croydon Central constituency.
The former Merton councillor won the seat with 18,541 votes and a majority of 6,825. When asked for her thoughts on the historic win and the six-week campaign, Irons told the local democracy reporting service (LDRS): "I feel incredibly lucky, privileged and honoured to be Croydon East's first MP. Our party has been on a massive journey and we are now back in the service of working people."
"You really got a sense for the desire, passion and hope for change that we have in this country. People want to see a different Britain, they want to see Britain back on it's feet and I feel like Keir Starmer's Labour party are back in that position."
Irons previously served as Cabinet Member for Local Environment, Green Spaces and Climate Change in neighbouring Merton Council until her resignation. When asked about her priorities as the MP for Croydon East, she told the LDRS that she would "put young people front and centre."
She added: "We need to make sure we can give them the opportunities they deserve, we can help them to flourish and thrive and tackle some of the biggest issues and challenges facing them. Croydon's London's youngest borough, which means we've got challenges, yes, but the biggest opportunities possible. I think that Croydon could be a leading example of what it means to be a young person in this country and I love to be the person spearheading that."
While the results came in earlier than expected at around 4am, Irons admitted it had been a long night. She told MyLondon she plans to celebrate with "a couple hours sleep and maybe a rosé spritzer with lots of ice." Irons' main challenger was Jason Cummings of the Conservatives, who picked up 11,716 votes. Cummings, who is also Croydon Council's Cabinet Member for Finance.
Speaking before the result was revealed, Cummings told the LDRS that he had spent most of his campaign supporting Chris Philp in his fight to hold onto Croydon South. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even visited the constituency the day before the election to bolster support.
Philp managed to hold onto his Croydon South seat with a majority of 2,313. Also standing in Croydon East was Croydon political veteran and former Croydon Central MP Andrew Pelling. Pelling was standing for the Lib Dems in what was his 17th election as a candidate.
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