Oona King

Two weeks from now, Labour will have a new leader. Yet his – and it's usually always "his" – biggest electoral test before winning a general election will be winning London in 2012, and using that as a springboard to beat this Tory government – a government that is shameless about hitting the poorest hardest.

Labour members and trade unionists have to decide who can best beat Boris Johnson – Ken Livingstone or myself? Who can best win back the voters Labour lost in outer London, in parliamentary seats like Enfield North and Brent Central? Equally important, it's about who best represents the future for the Labour party, and who can inspire a new generation of Labour party members to join our movement.

The launch speech from Oona's campaign to become Labour's mayoral candidate, Haverstock School, 26 May 2010

I’m delighted to be back here in the area I grew up, and at Haverstock, my old school. Today is the beginning of a journey that I hope will take me from Haverstock to City Hall. But I’d also like to talk a bit about the journey’s you’ll take, and the journey’s you’ll make in your lives.

If you took a helicopter and flew from Epping forest to the South Downs, from Rainham Marshes to Richmond park, what would you see? You’d see a citadel stretching in every direction, containing fantastic landmarks, a river running through it and big green parks.

Housing (London) debate, Westminster Hall

Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green and Bow): Given the lack of time, I shall try to reduce my speech to a few points. The first, and the most salient, is that we must fund the welcome changes that the Government have introduced. Following legislation, for the first time 18 to 21-year-old care leavers will be given priority, as will all 16 and 17-year-olds. In Tower Hamlets, that will mean a minimum of an extra 300 young people turning up at homeless services. We welcome the fact that they will be given priority, as they must be in any civilised society, but we must have the money to back that up, and it is not there at the moment.