Pam Cox, who will be the Labour candidate for Colchester at the next general election, recently came to a meeting of the Clacton Labour Party. She introduced herself as someone with lifetime links with Essex. As a child, she lived in Southend and frequently visited Walton and Jaywick. She now lives in Colchester and works at the University of Essex, teaching social history.
She joined the Labour Party in 1994, became a Colchester councillor in 2021, and was selected as Labour’s general election candidate earlier this year. At the age of 53, she says she has no ambition to rise up the Labour ranks in parliament. She simply wants to win the general election and spend her time as an MP concentrating on local issues. Her campaign will stress that she is a local candidate.
Pam’s Statement
It’s a real pleasure to be invited to meet with Clacton Constituency Labour Party’s All Members meeting today, I’m looking forward to discussing the hard work that the Labour team and I have been doing in Colchester, and the ideas we think will make Colchester a better place to live, work and study.
The two constituencies have many connections and it makes sense for us to work together where we can.
I’ve lived in Colchester for 25 years and have family links to Clacton.
I’m looking forward to hearing more about the work of Clacton’s newly elected Labour councillors and party members, particularly their “Clacton Together – Embrace Diversity” campaign.
In Colchester, Labour is gaining more support day by day and we’re keen to crack on with the General Election.
Pam’s Campaign
Pam does not hide the fact that she will have a big fight on her hands to beat the Tories in Colchester. Labour has won the Colchester constituency only once – in the post-war Labour landslide of 1945. However, votes have been moving in Labour’s direction in the town and the constituency is now one of Labour’s target seats.
Pam’s Policy
Pam emphasised that a Labour government must be bold and should ensure that working people share in the wealth that they produce, but she also thinks that Labour’s policies should not alienate the markets as Liz Truss had done.
She placed great stress on environmental policy and believes that farming in our area must adapt to the new climate conditions – for example, by developing drought-resistant crops. She is concerned that ‘Green’ policies must not increase costs for working people.
Pam supports Proportional Representation for elections, but she argued that under our existing First-Past-The-Post system it is a wasted vote to vote Liberal or Green.
Support Pam
Pam emphasised that our help could help push them over the line in Colchester, and asked that if we are able to support them in their campaign to paint Colchester red at the next GE. If you’re able to help please see Colchester’s Campaign Events here.
For more information about Pam please see her website here.