Thank you for the incredibly kind words. I'm so delighted to be here today with so many people who are contributing to London’s story. I was just reflecting that the last time I was with lots of people from this kind of London community was at UKREiiF, where Jules Pipe and I often do a double act, and we were doing a double act representing London. We started to get texts saying if there might be a general election, and everyone's saying that they never would but then we had the general election, leaving us in a very different world today. 

 

It's wonderful to be back with so many London friends, and NLA plays a critical role in drawing together the creativity of our city, bringing together different sectors and communities. It is such an honour to be recognised today by NLA, so much so that I even brought my mum along, and she never comes to anything I do! So, thank you, NLA, for that. 

 

When we talk about trust and its importance, it's clear that development in London has sometimes struggled to build it. Communities often fear that development means being displaced from their homes and separated from their neighbourhoods.

But I think today and the beautiful projects that we have seen have shown a different kind of development is possible. One that kind of honours the stories of the communities that live there that provide social housing and community facilities.

 

So, it's been really inspiring to see so many projects and the architects and the developers and all of those working on those projects to really bring community voice and placemaking into how we do development, and that is what we build trust fundamentally. 

 

When I was thinking about today's event and the city of London and what it means to me, I was thinking about my great grandfather, who came here as a 15-year-old fleeing the pogroms of Lithuania. Recently, I did a tour of the East End, and it felt like walking those streets was like tracing my history, seeing the Jewish soup kitchen and the places that welcomed people. 

 

It got me thinking about how he must have found his way and the support he received from strangers that wrapped around him, which allowed him to build a life here. He eventually worked his way up to open a shop on Kilburn High Road, which is now in the constituency I represent in Queen's Park and Maida Vale, and that is so much the London story, one that welcomes people from so many different communities. 

 

I was born in St. Mary's Hospital. I grew up in Bayswater, which didn’t talk about that much when I was leader of Camden, but now as an MP for Queen's Park and Maida Vale, I talk about it a lot.

 

Those parts of London, I think, have the same qualities that we see across our city, which is the strength of our social mix housing of all types right next to each other, often businesses, next to communities. The kind of porousness and organicness of London, I think, is one of our great strengths.

 

And it means that, when I go to the local children's centre or soft play, which is my main social life at the moment, I meet people from all kinds of different backgrounds, and that is what I really love about London—that makes us such a world-leading city. I think it's our greenspace, our history, our vibrancy, arts, and culture.

 

But the way it grows and changes to accept the new, new ideas, new architecture, and new communities and folds that into the rich and deep history of our city and its constantly evolving. Kings Cross I remember when I was a kid would be where we kind of sneaked out, where we didn't want our parents to know where we were going, and now it's just this absolutely stunning development that kind of talks to its history, and White City, where I've been travelling to since I was six to go and support Queen's Park Rangers, has transformed, but you can still get the best falafels at Shepherd's Bush Market. 

 

London's dynamism is constant, as is the ability to welcome new communities, and I think the creativity and energy our mix brings are unparalleled with food, music, art, culture, and ideas. London flows with it all, and in the jobs that I've had, I've been lucky to see so many sides of our city and meet so many different communities. I think in doing that, and anyone who works in development will know that London is really a series of villages, where people really care deeply about their local area and they go out of their way to help each other, which I saw during COVID when the mutual aid groups sprung up. Almost overnight when we saw Afghan refugees come to this country with nothing, it was our communities, our faith groups that came together to provide clothes and support. 

 

Also, chairing the London Partnership Board, alongside the Mayor of London, I met so many different faith and voluntary organisations, businesses, and university leaders who were all in different ways passionately committed to delivering for London, and then on the ground in Queen's Park in Maida Vale, I meet every week people who share that vision—community gardeners, boxing clubs, arts organisations, all volunteers who are passionate about giving back. 

 

But I think we can't be complacent about that mix that makes us special because I think the other story that I've seen over the last 14 years is how the inequality in London has grown, how many Londoners have found that they can't afford to stay in the city, and we see these vast gaps, 20-year gaps between people in the same borough, whether it's in Camden or Westminster, in life expectancy, and how too many people still feel cut out of the opportunity on their doorstep.

 

When we did research in Camden, it showed that young people growing up in unequal places where there is a lot of affluence and deprivation actually have poorer health outcomes, particularly mental health outcomes, than those growing up in places where there is a lot of deprivation because they can see what they can't access.

So I think that we all have a responsibility to help retain London's social mix and to make sure that the opportunities and the wealth in London are available to all and that the places that we create are truly accessible, whether that's housing that our communities can really live in or the kind of spaces that aren't just safe, but places that people can afford to shop in and spaces that they can come and spend time for free and feel that they are part of, and honour the history of our communities.

 

However, as I think about all of this, I feel really optimistic because of the work of the NLA, the Mayor of London, London Councils, and all the different people who I think share a common vision, many of whom are here today. I don't think that there are challenges in London that we can't collectively fix with the kind of creativity and resources that we have in our city.

 

And now, as I have a new role as part of the Labour government, for me, missions provide a really exciting opportunity to connect the work that's happening in local government, regional government, and a national government to bring us together around a shared purpose, to have that golden thread that connects the work of the private sector, of communities, and of government.

 

So, I'm really excited to continue to work with all the brilliant people here, and I know that this group of Londoners will take up the work of generations before us to ensure that the city keeps its mix, its dynamism, its beauty, and its spirit. Thank you.