Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith will face off in special debate on LGBT+ issues when candidates vying to be London’s next Mayor will be grilled about plans to improve life for LGBT+ Londoners on the first day of the official campaign for Mayor.
All of the major candidates will join the two leading contenders, Labour’s Sadiq Khan and Conservative Zac Goldsmith – in a mayoral hustings hosted by Pride in London and chaired by ITV Political Correspondent Paul Brand.
The debate will be centred on Pride in London’s Pledge for Politicians. The pledge is a commitment to make London the best LGBT+ city in the world. It is built around a set of policy proposals in three key areas: safety, health, and visibility for LGBT+ Londoners.
Pride in London’s Pledge for Politicians (prideinlondon.org/pledge) calls for specific actions in three key areas: safety, health, and visibility for LGBT+ Londoners.
Proposals include:
♦ Raising awareness and improving reporting mechanisms around hate crimes against LGBT+ people in London
♦ Including same-sex relationship education in all London schools, and developing better approaches to dealing with domestic abuse in same-sex relationships
♦ Making healthcare services, particularly around sexual health, HIV prevention and mental health problems, more accessible for LGBT+ Londoners
In addition to the Labour and Conservative candidates, also participating in the debate will be Liberal Democrat candidate Caroline Pidgeon, Green Party candidate Sian Berry and UKIP candidate Peter Whittle.
The event will be held at The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL on Monday, March 21.
Paul Brand, ITV Political Correspondent who will chair the Mayoral Hustings, said: “The LGBT+ community is a significant sector of the London electorate – perhaps more so than in any other part of the UK. Our votes matter just as much as anyone else’s, and I look forward to asking the candidates the questions that voters want answered, so that we can hear what each of them has to offer.”
Stephen Ward, Deputy Chair of Pride in London, added: “Growing numbers of London’s politicians, including the Labour and Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green Party candidates for mayor, have signed our Pledge which calls for specific actions to be taken in the key areas of health, personal safety and equal treatment to improve life for LGBT+ Londoners. This hustings will give the LGBT+ community a chance to grill each of the main candidates on issues specific to the LGBT+ community and others that are important to all Londoners. This is a key plank of Pride in London’s mission to provide a platform for the LGBT+ community to make its voices heard.”
Politicians to sign Pride in London’s Pledge to date, include:
Seb Dance MEP, Labour, London Region
Lord Michael Cashman CBE, Labour Peer, Global LGBT Envoy
Baroness Tessa Jowell DBE, Labour Peer
Diane Abbott MP, Labour, Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Heidi Alexander MP, Labour, Lewisham East
Rushanara Ali MP, Labour, Bethnal Green and Bow
Neil Coyle MP, Labour, Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Dr Stella Creasy MP, Labour, Walthamstow
John Cryer MP, Labour, Leyton and Wanstead
Vicky Foxcroft MP, Labour, Lewisham Deptford
Zac Goldsmith MP, Conservative, Richmond Park and candidate for Mayor of London
Helen Hayes MP, Labour, Dulwich and West Norwood
Dr Rupa Huq MP, Labour, Ealing Central and Acton
Rt Hon Sadiq Khan MP, Labour, Tooting and candidate for Mayor of London
John McDonnell MP, Labour, Hayes and Harlington and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Steve Pound MP, Labour, Ealing North
Steve Reed MP, Labour, Croydon North
Joan Ryan MP, Labour, Enfield
Paul Scully MP, Conservative, Sutton and Cheam
Virenda Sharma MP, Labour, Ealing
Tulip Siddiq MP, Labour, Hampstead and Kilburn
Andy Slaughter MP, Labour, Hammersmith
Sir Keir Starmer QC MP, Labour, Holborn and St Pancras
Wes Streeting MP, Labour, Ilford North
Catherine West MP, Labour, Hornsey and Wood Green
Cllr Danny Beales, Labour Councillor, Camden
Cllr Sian Berry, Green Party Councillor, Camden, and candidate for Mayor of London
Cllr David Boothroyd, Labour Councillor, Westminster
Cllr Paul Church, Conservative Councillor, Westminster
Tom Copley AM, Labour, London Assembly
Cllr Robert Davis DL, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council
Cllr JP Floru, Conservative Councillor, Westminster
Cllr Jonathan Glanz, Conservative Councillor, Westminster
Cllr Alan Hall, Labour Councillor, Lewisham
Cllr Claudia Hector, Labour Councillor, Brent
Cllr John Howard, Labour Councillor, Redbridge
Edward Lord OBE, Councilman, City of London
Cllr Reema Patel, Labour Councillor, Barnet
Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, Liberal Democrat, London Assembly and Candidate for Mayor of London
Cllr Michael Rutherford, Conservative Councillor, Bromley
Cllr Mark Santos, Labour Councillor, Redbridge
Cllr Angela Wilkins, Labour Councillor, Bromley
Cllr Richard Williams, Labour Councillor, Bromley
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