The Conservative party candidate for London's 2020 Mayoral election, Shaun Bailey, said that the Asian community is an example he looks up to, denying his intention to 'attack' the community or Britain's multiculturalism. “If I could say anything to any other communities, I would ask them to follow the Asian community's model of family – you have people in your family who are professionals, you grow up seeing such ideals. Those things make a difference. At the core of my belief, is income- work and family- they are the protective factors. I will make London a city where everybody has a stake, where it is easy to find a job, and the best place to set up a business. There is nothing like financial stress to keep your family apart.”
Jamaican-origin Bailey who is a Brexiter has been elected as the party's Mayoral candidate against Labour's Sadiq Khan. He was appointed a few months after the Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid was chosen as the UK's first Asian Home Secretary- perhaps the Tory's desperate measures to save their reputation and straighten records, especially after the Windrush scandal. Zac Goldsmith, who was the Mayoral candidate for the last election, was alleged to be far removed from a typical Londoner's day to day concerns, given his social status.
But Bailey who is far from an archetypal Tory candidate, grew up in a rough housing estate around Ladbroke Grove with his single mother, grand parents and, witnessing crimes and poverty that drove people's lives, every single day. He told BBC's Radio 4 that he himself had committed burglary in his teens to 'secure' his place among peers 'stamping' territories.
A graduate of the South Bank University at the age of 27, Bailey is a great proponent of education, employing local talents and believes having an 'affordable' roof over one's head is connected to their education. Bailey who was appointed as one of David Cameron's "Ambassadors for the Big Society" and in 2012 became a special adviser to then Prime Minister Cameron on youth and crime, also fights against drugs and knife crime, but believes in social reforms such as education and family discipline.
“You grow up in the shadow of Canary Wharf, but you never work there, why? Because in Canary Wharf people are highly educated. You support that process. I was born and bred in London and I had no idea that the City existed. I will show people directly how they are getting their jobs. We are about to get adhoc education budget. I would be directing that towards Londoners. And I would be working towards saying that if you want a cheaper space, you have to employ local people. I want people to be upto the task. Costs are everything.”
Tory peer Lord Jitesh Gadhia said more than 20% of the high-skilled people working in the City are from Asian background.
Wanting to do something, for the poor community he emphasised that it is about 'ownership', as he agreed that the country needs highly-skilled labour and promised to 'push' for it in the next election manifesto, if he is 'elected'. In 2007, Bailey was selected to be the Conservative candidate for the newly recreated parliamentary seat of Hammesrsmith in West London. His campaign focused on issues surrounding families and social responsibility- something he still emphasises on in his Mayoral campaign against Khan.
But will he be able to help with the housing crisis, that has gone deeper into the society, especially after former Tory Mayor Boris Johnson made the houses more affordable for foreign investors than the local citizens? Denying Johnson’s role behind the 'crisis', Bailey emphasised that London's housing crisis has been there since 1945. But he added, “The homeless situation is getting adverse. This city is attracting young buyers, but 5-7 years from then when they start a family, they wont have a bigger place. What drives your affordability is not the same as mine. London is growing. The Mayor has £4.82bn. The number of houses are important. There are many ways of making a house affordable. We are building more student accomodations because planning is easier. From the area that I come from, there is a square, and flats around it, I could change the bottom flats and make it affordable for families to live there.”
