Surrey University Student Elects To Help Guildford’s Labour Win Over More Voters

Published on: 14 Sep, 2019
Updated on: 17 Sep, 2019

Jacob Allen (right) with his local party chairman Dr Mithen when both were campaigning as Labour borough council candidates in Onslow ward.

As political parties gear up to play their part in an autumn general election, should it come, Guildford Labour has turned to the University of Surrey for help.

Jacob Allen, a student of international politics, has begun a year-long placement with the Guildford Constituency Labour Party to assist with administration and policy and strategy development. He will work with elected parish and borough councillors and is expected to play a significant role in organising and implementing any election campaign.

From GBC website

In the May 2019 borough council elections, Jacob, at 20-years-old, was the youngest candidate to stand. In Onslow Village, not normally a Labour-supporting ward, he came seventh out of nine candidates but managed to poll more votes than his party chairman Dr Richard Mithen and Conservative Neil Ward.

Dr Mithen said: “We are proud to work with the University of Surrey to offer this exciting opportunity to further the development of talented local students. Jacob is a fantastic asset to our local party, someone with a great balance of youthful enthusiasm, coupled with a mature and politically savvy outlook.”

At present, Jacob is co-chair of the University Labour Society and treasurer of the “Cut the Rent” Group. He has been active for the party in Guildford and Cranleigh since moving to Guildford in 2017, and was elected a delegate for the upcoming Labour Party Conference.

Guildford Labour’s share of borough council seats has declined in the past 20 years. In 1999, the party won what used to be its customary six seats but in 2003 a reorganisation reduced the number of its stronghold seats in Stoke from three to two. They also lost the three Westborough seats.

The low point came in 2007 when no Labour candidates were returned to GBC. Since then they have re-secured their two Stoke seats but, despite coming close, have been unable to make inroads in Westborough where, to the surprise of many, two Conservatives were returned in 2015.

Howard Smith campaigning in 2015

At general elections, Labour has consistently come third behind the Conservatives and Liberals/Lib Dems since 1974. In the past three elections, their vote has grown from under 3,000 in 2010 to more than 10,000 in 2017, when their candidate was local man Howard Smith. They have yet to nominate a new prospective parliamentary candidate but an announcement is expected soon.