Janet Daby MP called Boris Johnson’s response to the fuel crisis “absolutely pathetic” as Labour declared another landslide victory at the Lewisham Borough Council elections.
Labour MP Daby is deeply concerned with rising poverty numbers in light of the rise in cost of living which has soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
She has called on the Prime Minister to take urgent action and help young people who she believes are vulnerable to crime through poverty.
The MP for Lewisham East was in attendance today at the Lewisham Borough elections, where all 54 councillors returned were Labour.
She said: “If the Government doesn’t do better then more of these young people will be picked off to crime.
“One of the real influences of crime is poverty, so we need to deal with that.
“Even Boris has said he needs to do more for the fuel crisis. To have the audacity to say he needs to do more when he’s in a position to do more is pathetic, absolutely pathetic.”
Daby emphasised that young people were at the heart of Labour’s manifesto, with a particular emphasis on improving social care and meeting special educational needs.
She recalled: “I was at a bus stop recently where I saw a young lad, about 13, or 14 with plastic shoes on.
“He was probably feeling quite embarrassed and humiliated by it, he’s not choosing to where those shoes when it’s cold and wet.
“We need to be a country that has more compassion for young people.
“They rely on adults and people shouldn’t be having to deal with crises around finances.
“Universal credit needs to be upped and needs to be improved so that families, parents and carers can provide for their families and young children.”
Daby was campaigning across Lewisham on Thursday, visiting a number of the 19 wards in the borough alongside re-elected mayor Damien Egan.
Egan secured 58% of the vote, a 4% rise on his share in 2018 – a record for the Lewisham Mayoral elections.
Lewisham’s Mayor Damien Egan hoping his borough can “fly” over the next four years
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“I’m really pleased for Damien,” Daby said.
“I’ve known him since 2010, we were both local councillors together, we’ve come a long way both of us, and I’m really pleased for him, he really deserves it.
“He’s worked so hard, he’s really determined and connected to the community.
“He has a great manifesto where he really wants to carry on improving Lewisham for all residents and one of the things I like in particular is the green agenda.
“We are in a climate crisis and we all need to take personal responsibility but the council is doing more, they’re committed to doing more and they are going to do as much as they can and it’s all really nice and positive.”
But Daby believes that her party has more work to do if it is to convert local gains into national success, following significant victories over the Conservatives in a number of London’s boroughs.
“I’m really pleased about Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet,” beamed Daby.
“They were key areas where we haven’t had Labour in there for decades.
“Especially in Wandsworth, we’ve got excellent MPs down there, Fleur Anderson, for example, they’re all ecstatic.
“They’ve been on the ground working with the local members and the local candidates, and they’re really chuffed and pleased.
“Barnet needed to be red and I’m really pleased about Westminster, being where Parliament is, so it looks really well for Labour.
“There is always more that can be done, more we can do to connect with people across our whole country and we need to keep on doing that. We can never be complacent.”
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