South London Press guide to your constituency – Bermondsey and Old Southwark

By Charlie Parry

Bermondsey and Old Southwark was created in 2010 as the successor seat to North Southwark and Bermondsey. It is notable for being one of few Liberal Democrat seats in London through the last 30 years. The Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes held the seat from 1983 when it was known as Southwark and Bermondsey to 2015 –  Labour’s Neil Coyle took the seat has held it since.

It is an overwhelmingly remain constituency with 73.95 per cent of voters wishing to stay in the EU. It has a very high unemployment rate of 5.5 per cent. It also has over double the average percentage of renters and only 24.4 per cent of people own a home, which is way below the UK average of 63.5 per cent.

Candidates

Andrew George Scott Baker – Conservative

The Conservative candidate Andrew George Scott Baker is a lawyer, school governor and treasurer of the Tory Reform Group who lives in Southwark. His priorities for the constituency are building affordable homes, improving the environment and protecting local schools.

Alongside his day job he volunteers with a charity near Shad Thames that provides mentoring to children from deprived backgrounds.

His brother is also standing as the Tory candidate in another constituency, and his dad is a Liberal Democrat councillor in Teddington.

He says his betting odds of winning are “about 100-1 outsider” but “Brexit has changed a lot of things”.

Neil Coyle – Labour

Looking to hold onto his seat that he won from the Lib Dems in the 2015 election and held in 2017 with an increased vote share is Labour’s Neil Coyle.

Coyle lives in Southwark with his family, where he has held numerous roles at trusts, organisations, and the council, including his position as Deputy Mayor in 2014-15. He has pledged to “oppose Brexit under any circumstances.” Housing is his number one priority, and he’s proud of Labour’s pledge to build 100,000 council homes a year.

His also wants to tackle crime in the area, which he believes is due to cuts to police officers on the street. Universal Credit is another big problem, which he believes is causing a rise in foodbank use and stopping families from getting essential goods.

Humaira Ali – Liberal Democrats

Looking to reclaim Bermondsey and Old Southwark for the Lib Dems is Humaira Ali. She has lived in Bermondsey for 10 years ad was elected as a Southwark Councillor in 2018. Ali has previously worked for charities, in retail, government departments and banks.

Ali also sees housing as the number one priority for the constituency.

Another area of concern for Ali is crime, which she believes is fed by a lack of police, few opportunities for young people, and Brexit. She believes Article 50 should be revoked, and Brexit overturned so that the country can “start focussing on other things.”

Alex Paul Matheou Matthews – Brexit Party

Attempting to convince a constituency that voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining in Europe is Alex Matthews, the Brexit Party candidate.

Matthews lives in Barnet but commutes into Southwark to work at his job in recruitment on Southwark Bridge Road. He has previously worked as an English teacher in Japan, and used to be a member of the Labour Party.

He says that Labour are no longer a Labour movement but “a party for bourgeois middle-class liberals.”

He doesn’t fancy his chances of winning but says it’s important that the leave voters in the constituency are represented.