Georgia Gould

WESTMINSTER’S two new MPs promised to fight on for better housing in the tradition of Karen Buck as they delivered their “maiden speeches” this week.

Rachel Blake – the first ever Labour Cities of London and Westminster MP – and Queen’s Park and Maida Vale’s Georgia Gould paid tribute to the former Westminster North MP who has retired after 27 years.

Ms Gould said: “I was at a school in my constituency last week where the head said that Karen was the fourth emergency service, always at the end of a phone ready to help. I remember going to an elderly people’s lunch where the residents said, ‘You can be our MP – you are very nice. Just make sure that Karen comes to our residents’ meeting in July’.

“The wonderful team at the House Library sent me Karen’s maiden speech. It was no surprise to me that it was a passionate call to action on the housing conditions of her constituents. That passion has not dimmed for a second; it could be heard in every line of her 37 interventions on the Renters (Reform) Bill over 25 years later. She has shown that somebody with the community running through their veins can move mountains.

“I will work every day to live up to the women who came before me – that includes you.”

Rachel Blake

She spoke about her childhood growing up around Queen’s Park and Maida Vale, describing her community as “rich in spirit and dynamism”.

She recalled “rainy days in Cardiff, Preston, Southend and Tranmere, embracing again and again the triumph of hope over experience” while following the QPR football team.

“I have always been an optimist. Despite 14 tough years in local government, including seven as Camden Council leader, I have never lost hope, because every day I can see the power of communities.”

Ms Gould spoke about how the Gracious Speech “sets out bold new proposals in the English devolution bill to unlock the energy and creativity of communities”, adding: “It sets out bills to fulfil Karen Buck’s long-held campaign to end no-fault evictions and reform the leasehold system.

“The proposals will support the people of Queen’s Park and Maida Vale who come out every day to build their community – the youth workers, the community gardeners and those running the North Paddington food bank, who wish it did not have to exist.”

Karen Buck

The Conservative MP Suella Braverman congratulated Ms Gould “on a simply superb speech that follows the best traditions of the House”.

Ms Blake described the constituency as “home to diverse communities living side by side, but also to inequality and injustice” and “the struggle to find a stable, affordable and decent home is holding people in my constituency back from meeting their potential”.

She would be “standing up for St Mary’s in Paddington” and continuing to secure funding for the redevelopment of ­London’s major trauma centre.

Ms Blake said: “Tackling the housing crisis has brought me into politics, and this debate on the King’s Speech proposals for economic growth is an important time to highlight the situation that many of my constituents face … I am determined that this government will deliver on our promise to build more affordable homes.

“It is characteristic of such an international place that global patterns affect our local communities. The rise of short-term letting and the risk of dirty money in property are contributing to a loss of homes for Londoners, and as their representative here I am determined to tackle that.”