Kensington and Chelsea Labour Party

News

May 12th, 2005 - FULL RESULT AND ANALYSIS OF KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA ELECTION RESULT - CATHERINE ATKINSON POLLS STRONGLY FOR LABOUR

The result of the election for MP for Kensington and Chelsea was announced by the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, Cllr Barry Phelps, shortly before 2 a.m. on 6th May. The battle for second and third place was close, with the Liberal Democrat candidate pipping Catherine to the post by 205 votes. The full result and change in share of vote since 2001 is compared to the weighted average of votes cast in neighbouring constituencies (the Benchmark Change)*

% Share Change Benchmark Change
Rifkind (Conservative) 18,144 58% +3.7% +3.5%
Kingsley (LibDem) 5,726 18% +2.6% +3.6%
Atkinson (Labour) 5,521 18% -5.5% -9.2%
Stephenson(Green) 1,342 4% +0.1% +1.9%
Eilorat (UKIP) 395 1% -0.2% n/a
Bovill (Independent) 107 negligible

*Regents Park & North Kensington, Hammersmith & Fulham, Cities of London & Westminster, Putney and Battersea.

Catherine congratulated Sir Malcolm Rifkind on his election immediately when the result was announced. "Sir Malcolm and his team ran a fair and decent campaign in Kensington and Chelsea and I congratulate him on the result and wish him well as our MP."

"I am very grateful for the support I received in this election from thousands of voters throughout the constituency. I am also pleased that turnout increased to over 50% from the record low of 2001. With the historic election of a third-term Labour government, I look forward to the implementation of the social and economic programme I have been campaigning for"

The result shows Labour maintaining its vote better in Kensington and Chelsea than elsewhere in London.

Catherine is now completing her law studies and looks forward to an active return to politics later.

April 17th, 2005 - CATHERINE ATKINSON HITS CAMPAIGN TRAIL RUNNING - STARS IN NEWSNIGHT "SPEED DATING" ON Monday 24th APRIL

Week two of the official General Election campaign in Kensington and Chelsea sees Catherine appearing on a political "speed dating" feature on BBC2 Newsnight on the 24th of April.

Click here to watch the programme on BBC's Newsnight website.

Catherine's first week included an appearance as Labour spokesperson on BBC3 Digital's 7 O'Clock News on Wednesday 13th April, when she was grilled by Eddie Mair and Tazeen Ahmad on the launch of the Labour Manifesto and given sixty seconds to explain to viewers why they should vote Labour.

On Friday night, she participated in the all-night celebrity vigil around Westminster Abbey in aid of the Make Poverty History campaign.

A feature on Sunday morning's Radio 4 "Broadcasting House programme followed Catherine as she went out canvassing in Chelsea and meeting voters in Earls Court.

In between, Catherine visited The Lighthouse in Lancaster Road, Notting Hill on Thursday 14th April, and met Paul Ward, Deputy Chief Executive of the Terence Higgins Trust (THT), and leading members of the THT team. THT had invited the candidates from the main parties to an election hustings, which had to be cancelled when the Liberal Democrat candidate pulled out. Catherine comments:

"It is a shame that neither my Conservative nor LibDem opponents came to the THT for a debate. For over 20 years, the THT has played a vital role in supporting people with HIV and campaigning for better education to prevent the spread of HIV. Kensington and Chelsea has the highest number of people with HIV in Europe and a high level of funding for HIV support is very important. Funding both HIV support and public health projects generally has increased hugely under Labour, with a 23% increase in statutory grants to THT in 2003-4. It is very unfortunate that an overspend by the Primary Care Trust in Kensington and Chelsea in 2004-5 has led to a reduction in funding to THT in the current year. The dedication and enthusiasm of the THT team will ensure the most important activities at the Lighthouse will continue and Labour's health spending commitment is the best guarantee that the THT will continue its vital work."

Editor's Note: The Press Release is issued on her behalf by her Agent, Tom Brown, of 18 Earls Court Square, London, SW5 9DN, telephone 020-7244 7924

April 7th, 2005 - CATHERINE ATKINSON WELCOMES OFFICIAL START OF GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN

With the start gun officially fired for the General Election campaign, Catherine Atkinson, the Labour candidate running in Kensington and Chelsea, is looking forward to her first General Election campaign as a parliamentary candidate. At age 24, she is the youngest Labour candidate in London, but she has had plenty of experience of election campaigns already, as she comes from a Kensington and Chelsea political family, with her father Robert Atkinson serving as a Councillor for St Charles Ward.

Catherine is not daunted in her task of fronting up to Malcolm Rifkind, the new Tory candidate who wants to succeed Michael Portillo in what is touted as one of the safest Conservative seats in the country.

"One day, the voters of Kensington and Chelsea may well tire of being repeatedly used as a re-launch pad for ex-Tory ministers who have lost their seats in earlier elections in other parts of the UK. As MP for Kensington and Chelsea, I will be a real local voice and local representative. I was born here and grew up here and know the problems which the ordinary residents of our wonderfully diverse city face. And unlike the LibDem candidate, I was not elected as a Tory councillor and then changed my mind."

"This will be a very important campaign. Not even the Tories can deny that Kensington and Chelsea has grown wealthier than ever before under Labour. The question now is whether this wealth is invested in public services which benefit everyone and also used to help low income households, of which there are many in our borough, or we return to the days of cuts in services to finance tax benefits for a minority".

Editor's Note: The Press Release is issued on her behalf by her Agent, Tom Brown, of 18 Earls Court Square, London, SW5 9DN, telephone 020-7244 7924

December 10, 2004 - CATHERINE ATKINSON, PROSPECTIVE PARLIAMENTARY LABOUR CANDIDATE FOR KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA, RELEASES SURVEY RESULTS ON SMOKING, ID CARDS AND PENSIONS

Supporters of Labour Party candidate Catherine Atkinson conducted Voter Surveys among shoppers and residents at World's End on Saturday 27th November. Voters were asked questions on three hotly debated issues of the day: a public smoking ban, the introduction of Identity Cards and pension and benefit provision for senior citizens.

Support for a ban on smoking in the work-place was found to be very high at 71% and a majority also favoured a ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants. 31% of those asked were against a legislated ban on smoking.

Identity Cards appeared to be widely supported with 50% believing they would help reduce Benefit Fraud but voters were clearly sceptical about whether they would be useful in combating terrorism, with only around one-third believing there would be effective in this area. Somewhat fewer (29%) had no opinion on the issue or were against.

Catherine was keen to gauge voters' reactions to an idea currently gaining ground among many experts on pension and welfare provision for the retired: the "Citizens Pension" which would be paid at a flat rate to all pensioners, replacing a range of means-tested benefits which top up the basic state pension for many at present. Voters at World's End didn't take to the idea with 54% against and 29% in favour. A large number of "Don't Knows" (18%) shows this is a difficult area for many voters to comprehend.

Catherine comments "Of course, we don't know if the voters we met were scientifically representative of public opinion in Kensington and Chelsea, but the results seem to show that our government is moving in tune with the public mood with plans gradually to restrict smoking, because of the health risks from passive smoking and to introduce ID cards.

Pensions have moved up the agenda as hard-working people have in some cases seen the value of their private pensions reduced through miscalculations of life assurance companies and people realise that improved life expectancy means we will have to make changes to the way we provide financial support in retirement. Our Labour government has instituted independent investigations such as the Adair Report, to open a debate on this difficult question to find a new consensus on this issue."

December 9, 2004 - CATHERINE ATKINSON AND TONY BENN ARE GUESTS OF HONOUR AT KENSINGTON & CHELSEA LABOUR PARTY DINNER AT "VAMA" RESTAURANT, WORLD'S END
Members of the Labour Party in Kensington & Chelsea got the Christmas party season off to a memorable start with a dinner at one of Chelsea's "Vama" restaurant where guests of honour were local resident and former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Postmaster-General, Rt. Hon Tony Benn and Catherine Atkinson. In an after-dinner speech, Tony pointed out that he had been active in politics at an even younger age than Catherine, campaigning for the Labour party in the 1935 General Election at the age of ten! Tony reminded members of the great social and welfare progress made by Labour governments, including the NHS, and urged members to fight for labour values.

Catherine looked forward to the General Election, when she will take on former Conservative Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, who previously lost his seat in Scotland in the 1997 election: "I am proud to be able to say that I would be a true local voice in Parliament for the people of Kensington and Chelsea"

December 1st, 2004 - OFFICAL WEBSITE LAUNCHED
www.kandclabourparty.co.uk , Catherine's official website launches to promote her candidacy and the Labour party amongst Kensington and Chelsea.

November 14, 2004 - CATHERINE ATTENDS MAYOR'S ACT OF REMEMBRANCE AT SLOANE SQUARE AND REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY SERVICE IN HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
Kensington and Chelsea Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Catherine Atkinson attended the Act of Remembrance for the war dead held in Sloane Square on Remembrance Sunday in the presence of the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, local MP's Michael Portillo, who stands down at the next election, and Karen Buck, MP for Regent's Park and North Kensington . Representatives of the armed forces, cadet forces and many of the borough's councillors also attended a packed church service afterwards.

Catherine comments: "Remembrance Sunday reminds us of the great sacrifice of older generations to secure the peace in Europe and Asia, which we all nowadays take for granted. It also makes us think about the huge role which European institutions have played in bringing together former enemies. This year has had a special significance, firstly because of the D-Day anniversary, but also because many former communist states in Eastern Europe have now joined the European Union family and closed another chapter of the post-war division of Europe."

September 29, 2004 - CATHERINE ATKINSON AT LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE: DEBUT SPEECH IN EDUCATION DEBATE
Catherine Atkinson, who was earlier this year was selected by Kensington & Chelsea Labour Party members as their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the next General Election, was already in the limelight at this year's Labour Party conference in Brighton as the youngest Labour parliamentary candidate at the conference. However, 23-year old Catherine made her mark in the education debate, in which she made her debut conference speech. She took the opportunity to censure Kensington & Chelsea's Conservative-controlled council for its attempts to close nursery schools in the Borough, while nursery school provision is being expanded in the rest of the country. She also criticised the council's decision to cut Youth Programmes reducing sports opportunities for young people. "Our council is cutting facilities when other authorities are showing imagination and expanding them." Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke, responding to the debate, promised Labour would introduce a children's centre in every community: "We will establish a children's centre in every community which supports parents, child minders and nurseries ."