Unsurprisingly, the world is changing. With every turn of its axis, there is an epidemic of new problems, dilemmas, and disasters. Presently, for most of us, the myth of Pandora’s box is mere reality.
However, there are a handful of rare individuals who aim to make the world an exceedingly better place than how they found it. These leaders are carving the world to fit a positive, sustainable, and safe mould. Through their ideologies and plans, they are assuming the role of Olympians. Except this time, they are accountable.
As old as Grecian heroes themselves is the age-old cosmic of politics. Unparalleled in its humility and uncontested in its debauchery, Britain’s current political status is, and always has been, in its most crude form, unique. Filled with dividing opinions and dividing classes, it appears that there isn’t much hope. But, that may be about to change in the hands of young politician and activist, Zoya Khan.
Seeking the Labour nomination to stand as an MP for Ilford South, Khan aims to tackle reform on a local level and change the country, one trial at a time. Currently a nineteen-year-old undergraduate student studying Politics and International Relations, Khan has been incredibly politically active throughout her life. Being a member of the Redbridge Youth Council for seven years, before graduating to a Youth Cabinet Member, and participating in the Youth Leadership Programme, her plethora of skills are extensive. This is further supported through her later role as the Redbridge Young Labour Executive (under nineteens officer).
In this new burgeoning chapter in Khan’s political and personal life, she answers some pressing questions relating to her political campaign, her pledge, and her future.
Why does your background make you a suitable candidate? What drew you to enter professional politics?
‘Growing up in the borough, I saw all the good aspects, such as having good libraries, having good schools in the borough, and having a tight knit community. However, I also saw the negative aspects, such as increasing crime rates, the rise in anti-social behaviour, and the problem of homelessness in the borough. Of course, I wanted the borough of Redbridge to improve, but I didn’t want to just rely on others to do this for me. Hence, I got involved in politics, to make positive changes in Redbridge.’
Why would living in your local area for 7 years prove to be advantageous in serving your constituents? Why would this make you more suitable than the current Ilford South MP, Mike Gapes, who spent his entire youth in the area, over double the amount of time you have lived here?
‘Mike Gapes may have spent his youth in the area, but he failed to grasp what the constituents want. He failed to come to terms with the support for Corbyn who Ilford South largely support. In his statement on why he left the Labour Party, he said that he was ‘sickened that Labour is now perceived by many as a racist party’. He also said that he cares passionately about traditional labour values.
However, leaving the Labour party to challenge the anti-Semitic behaviour is fundamentally flawed. Being an independent MP in the UK, with the voting system it has, it would be near to impossible to be elected again. Without being part of the Party, without being a representative to Ilford South, how can there be a real positive change?
I believe in order for change to happen, in order to represent constituents, it’s important to listen to them but to also be active in brining about the change. I feel I am more suitable because I have better more creative ideas on how to better represent the Jewish community, and Ilford South on a whole and hope to bring these ideas into action in the near future, regardless of the outcome of the Parliamentary selection.’
In terms of campaigning, as you mentioned in your ‘Draw My Life’ video, you used a jacket to emphasise your support for the Labour party during your sixth form exam period. Would you now turn your efforts to support your personal campaign, the Labour party, or both?
‘I would be focussing on both my personal campaign and the Labour Party, as the Labour Party is the best for the future of Britain, and I will do all I can to ensure a Labour victory.’
How do you attempt to balance campaigning and your university work? If successful would you leave university to pursue being an MP full-time? If unsuccessful, would you run again at a later date?
‘Having balanced so many extra-curricular activities, plus my A-levels and other exams, I am confident I can also balance campaigning with my university work, without letting the quality of my work suffer. I always make sure I don’t overload myself with work so I can give substantial time towards everything I do. If unsuccessful, I would continue to campaign for the Labour party and build on my experience, so I can run again at a later date.’
Attending a grammar school, yourself, what is your stance on your party leader’s opposition to his paradoxical view on selective schools, as his own son attended Queen Elizabeth’s School?
‘The Conservative government has been squeezing the budget for education and as a result the education standard on a whole have been slipping. Without adequate funding the youth feels alienated, they don’t feel relevant or even have a voice in matters. How are students meant to do the best they can in school if the quality of education has dropped?
I feel that students are turning to grammar schools because selective schools are perceived to have better education standards, plus are thought to consist of students who are overall more focused on studying. The reality is however, that budgets are being squeezed for both Comprehensive and Grammar schools, and education is suffering across the country. To answer the question, I don’t agree with grammar schools, like others I attended in hope of a better education because I heard about how Comprehensive schools were suffering as a result of a lack of funding. I now realise, being in a selective school does not magically make education standards better, a lack of funding can still negatively impact selective schools.
To begin with, it’s not fair that some students get the opportunity to attend a school and others do not because they don’t pass a test. At such a tender age we are competing with each other, which can have a really negative impact on a child’s confidence. Funding should increase for education we need to show the youth we care, give everyone an equal opportunity to a brighter future. If the youth feel like they are cared for and not neglected, if they have a better chance of getting a better education and a better job it could see a decrease in anti-social behaviour on a whole.’
In relation to aiding local youths, how do you attempt to provide areas/places where they can positively channel their energy? What type of youth (gender, age, etc) are you most focused on helping? Do you plan to build physical spaces for them? If so, how do you aim to get planning permission from the council?
‘I am focused on helping any young person regardless of their gender, age or background. We need a young person to talk to other young people in the borough, to listen to them, so that they can feel more comfortable in voicing their opinions. I don’t want to patronise anyone and I’m certainly not naïve to think that simply creating more affordable youth facilities will help solve the rise in anti-social behaviour.
However, it is a step in the right direction. I feel that so many higher education options are competitive. Despite advertising apprenticeships as a good alternative to University, they are also really competitive. It is so difficult for a young person to do something which they are passionate about when everything is either to difficult to join or too expensive. If they turn to after school activities such as sports most are so expensive, they would rather not join in. I would like to create an online platform where young people can easily communicate with me, and I can easily pass their ideas on to the council to discuss how we can allocate money to such plans.
This is partly why I created my YouTube Channel because it is more accessible. In the future, I hope to make any vlogs on progress I am making, and also to do live videos addressing any questions constituents may have.’
Aiming to primarily support the youth, does this entail improving educational facilities, or providing mainly recreational facilities? As those who are legally able to work (ages 16-64) make up roughly 65% of the Redbridge population, how do you aim to engage local businesses, if your campaign and policies are targeted towards younger people?
‘I aim to provide recreational facilities as I feel like the amount of affordable recreational facilities in Redbridge is low, which plays a part in the spike of anti-social behaviour in recent years. In terms of local businesses, I want to encourage more residents to be shopping from them rather than big high street stores, to support and help these local businesses grow and flourish. I want to create a forum where residents can share any feedback from local restaurants or services within the borough to make others more aware of the variety of choices available. These businesses could also benefit from any constructive feedback received to help them improve.’
With a 68% turnout in the last parliamentary election, how do you plan to get more constituents to vote? What tactics will you use to do this?
‘By making Politics more exciting and a welcoming place, I hope to increase the turnout. I also hope to target sixth forms within the borough so that those who just turned 18, are more aware and more comfortable about the voting process. I do not however just want to talk at the young people, as this could be seen as boring and demotivating.
I would like to create a short animation to be played simply explaining how to vote, that way it captures their attention more effectively. By presenting something new to those who had been fed up with the ‘same old politics’, they may then feel more motivated to vote. I also feel like those who are not voting are seeking something worth voting for. I would like to hear their issues with the borough, so I can act on it and improve Redbridge based on the feedback they give.’
One of your policies is tackling climate change. How do you aim to do this? In accordance with the Labour manifesto, which fiercely protects consumer rights, animal rights, and general welfare of the surroundings, do you think it would be possible to defend these policies on a local scale? Would your policies include tackling the low recycling, reuse, and composting rates of Redbridge (currently standing at 24%)?
‘I hope to introduce more water fountains around the borough to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles. The Mayor of London has been working on introducing more water fountains around London, and I would like to work with him to increase accessibility to free drinking water around Redbridge. I also aim to bring more recycle friendly bins into Redbridge, which was some of the feedback received from the young leaders focus group, which I was part of for the local imitative Our Streets Commission. This would help to increase the currently low recycling rates of Redbridge.
To further help Redbridge to become a greener space, I would like to create a ‘Greener and better initiative’ where residents can design and show their more environmentally friendly garden areas online, to inspire others to create a better environment for themselves. People could also vote for the best garden or green space to make the initiative more fun and interactive.’
How do you aim to create better policing for the area? Is this not an issue that is decided by central government? Would you aim to rely heavily on the policing to tackle crime and create safer streets, or work with local council team initiatives, such as the Our Streets Commission?
‘This is an issue that is decided by central government, but I pledge to tirelessly campaign for more policing from the government. The streets of London are becoming increasingly unsafe and the government needs to act now, before the matter of knife crime becomes even worse. However, with the situation already in a bad state, we cannot afford to wait so long for more police on our streets. This is why I will definitely work with local initiatives to ensure the streets of Redbridge are safer more quickly. I would also like to create more affordable youth facilities so that the younger generation can better spend their time, to help reduce anti-social behaviour on our streets.’
How do you aim to differentiate yourself as a unique Labour candidate?
‘I want to introduce new ways to campaign such as making YouTube videos or doing live videos to engage with constituents, combined with the traditional way of giving out leaflets door-to-door. The political experience that I have is different to that of other candidates, and thus I believe I can bring something new to Ilford South. I understand the negative aspects of our borough but also appreciate the positive aspects. I know what is important to our constituents being a local resident myself, and therefore I believe I am best suited to be the voice of Ilford South.’
While Khan explains several components of her political platform, there is still much uncertainty on how her campaign and journey will unravel. Still awaiting her stance or departure on her on central Labour policies, how she will precisely tackle local issues (most prominently, knife crime, and homelessness), and how she will financially tackle her campaign (as it can, according to previous Labour candidate for Harlow, Suzy Stride, cost over £30k).
The Labour party has had no amiss with scandal, misfortune, and dishonesty, akin to every almost every other political party in existence. Labour has stated that progress is being rolled back for women, LGBTQ individuals, and BAME communities, despite, since 2016, the number of LGBTQ individuals increasing to a record high 2%; the employment of women in prime working age (24-54) reaching an all-time high of 78%; and there are increasing BAME opportunities provided by employers and related companies. With the Party in leadership turmoil and internal distress, there is much to unravel.
Yet, as Khan’s policies indicate, her stance could be a vehicle for permanent change. Though she has many tasks and trials to endure, opponents to defeat, and victories to win, her tale is one worth being a part of.