Just across the Lea Valley we see politics being done in a new way. Wes Streeting, the Labour candidate for Ilford North, has repeated his support for proportional representation (PR). Indeed he's promised to introduce a Private Members Bill that would introduce it. Now that's rare for a mainstream party MP; but there's more.
He's agreed to work with the local Green Party on a variety of local issues such as "the loss of sports facilities and Green Belt land at Oakfield
Playing Fields, the threat to King George’s A&E, the dangerously
poor air quality in Redbridge, particularly around the A406 North
Circular Road, and noise pollution from London City Airport." Now there's nothing in those issues to offend the Labour Party but the key phrase here is "work with". Streeting is offering actual collaboration.
In response to this the Waltham Forest and Redbridge Green Party has decided not to stand a Green candidate in Ilford North.
That's one kind of progressive alliance. The Labour candidate gets a better chance of winning. The Green Party helps defeat a Tory (who would presumably support May's reactionary policies and BREXIT fixation) and get help with key local Green issues.
More important, the electors of Ilford get to vote for Green policies without letting in a Tory.
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