Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP has delivered a powerful response to Conservative MP Richard Holden after he attacked her for standing up against cuts to local services in Wandsworth.
The Labour MP for Tooting rejected Holden’s criticism as voters in Tooting Bec and Balham went to the polls in the crucial Trinity ward by-election.
Allin-Khan has been campaigning for Labour candidate Shirin Georgiani, who is fighting Conservative proposals that could threaten domestic abuse support, youth services and plans to build hundreds of council homes.
Holden accused Allin-Khan of hypocrisy for supporting the Labour government while opposing decisions being considered by Wandsworth’s minority Conservative administration.
However, Allin-Khan turned the criticism back on the former Conservative Party chairman and questioned his record of loyalty to the communities he previously represented.
She said:
“Cowardice is running away from your seat in the North East—to which you said you were ‘bloody loyal’—to a safe Tory seat in Essex, and you still only scraped in by 20 votes.
“Pipe down, Richard.”
Holden represented North West Durham between 2019 and 2024 and publicly declared that he was “bloody loyal to the North East”.
After his constituency was abolished through boundary changes, he chose not to seek selection in one of the successor seats in the region.
He was instead selected for Basildon and Billericay in Essex, more than 250 miles away, shortly before nominations closed for the 2024 general election.
The constituency had previously returned a Conservative MP with a majority of more than 20,000. Despite being regarded as a safe Tory seat, Holden held it by only 20 votes following two recounts.
Allin-Khan’s intervention came as Labour intensified its campaign to protect residents from the consequences of decisions being pursued by Wandsworth’s new Conservative administration.
The Conservatives have warned that the council faces significant financial pressures and have raised the prospect of deep spending reductions and a substantial council tax increase.
Labour campaigners argue that Conservative councillors are using the financial situation as cover to reintroduce austerity and dismantle services valued by local families.
The government’s funding reforms are intended to create a fairer national system by directing resources towards communities with the greatest needs after years of damaging Conservative cuts to local government.
Instead of working constructively to protect residents and deliver efficient services, Wandsworth Conservatives have threatened cuts to vital programmes while seeking to blame Labour for their own political choices.
Georgiani has made defending local services a central part of her campaign and has pledged to be a strong voice for residents in Tooting Bec and Balham.
She has warned that Conservative proposals could affect support for domestic abuse survivors, the council’s youth bus and plans for hundreds of new council homes.
The Trinity by-election was called following the resignation of Labour councillor Lizzy Dobres. Its outcome could determine whether the Conservatives secure a working majority on Wandsworth Council.
Labour is urging residents to elect Georgiani as a committed local representative who will challenge unnecessary cuts, protect vulnerable people and campaign for investment in the community.
Allin-Khan said voters face a clear choice between a Conservative candidate who would support cuts and higher council tax or a Labour councillor who would stand up for residents.
Her response to Holden also exposed the contrast between Labour representatives fighting for their communities and a senior Conservative politician who left the region to which he had publicly proclaimed his loyalty.
While Holden sought to launch a personal attack, Allin-Khan remained focused on the central issue facing residents: protecting local services and electing a Labour councillor who will put Tooting Bec and Balham first.
