Our next CLP meeting with be on 16th February at 8pm at the CLP office (160 London Road KINGSTON KT2 6QW). Our guest speaker is Angela Eagle, Shadow Leader of the Commons. Angela, who was previously Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury and before that, a Pensions Minister in the Labour Government, will lead a discussion on the Economy. All members and guests are welcome.

...From the Metropolitan Police Service, in conjunction with Kingston University:

?We are inviting you to meet the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, Bernard Hogan-Howe. Don't miss your opportunity to talk to him, listen to his vision for London and share your thoughts and ideas.

?Please be aware that spaces are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis so please arrive in plenty of time.?

The event will take place on 15 February 2012 from 7-8p.m. (doors open 6.30p.m. for refreshments) at

Kingston University, Penrhyn Road Campus, Penrhyn Road, KT1 2EE.

http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/9500905.London_s_top_cop_coming_to_Kingston_for_Q_A/

David Lammy last week backed Ken Livingstone?s proposals for a London Living Rent on BBC Question Time, when he highlighted it was slum landlords rather than tenants who benefited from high housing benefit payments. He said:

?Who?s going to get the money? Who?s getting the money in housing benefit? Slum landlords, on the whole, are getting the money in many parts of this country.

So what we need, and Ken Livingstone is proposing this in the London elections, is rent control. That?s what we need. Not private landlords profiteering from the poorest in the country.

We need rent control but I suspect neither of these two [Jeremy Browne, MP (Lib Dem), Elizabeth Truss, MP (Conservative)] are going to mention rent. They don?t want to regulate the landlords, what they want to do is regulate the poorest people in this country.?

This week, polls showed that Ken was two points ahead of Boris and we need to do all we can to maintain this momentum and stretch the lead. With less than 90 days until the mayoral elections, it?s all hands on deck.

Thank you to all who attended our tour of the Houses of Parliament on 18 Januray, kindly hosted by nearby Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh. Over 20 members attended and everyone agreed that the tour was enjoyable and informative ? we visited the chamber of the House of Commons, saw where Churchill laid in state and we were even greeted by Ed Miliband who expressed his hopes that Kingston would go Labour at the next general election!

Our next CLP meeting with be on 19th January at 8pm at 160 London Road. Our guest speakers are Sam Gurney and Sacha Ismail to lead the discussion on current events in North Africa and the Middle East. All members are welcome.