Vincent Carroll Battaglino

Jun 14, 2024 | secnewgate.co.uk | Vincent Carroll Battaglino

Before the election was called, prevailing wisdom was that housing would feature prominently in this campaign. The reason being that housing affordability has become such a challenge for enough people (and newspaper editors’ offsprings) that a significant proportion of voters would decide on this issue. It’s not quite been the case since the election was called, overtaken by D-Day controversy, childhoods without Sky TV, toolmaking, and Reform’s new/old leader.

Jun 6, 2024 | secnewgate.co.uk | Vincent Carroll Battaglino

It’s a well-trodden path, from the Town Hall (or possibly ‘Civic Centre’) to what one of my former council colleagues called ‘The Big House’ (for information: he didn’t make it there). As well as being home to lifers, local government is the training ground for the political stars of tomorrow, to the extent that councillors are sometimes called ‘wannabe MPs’.

Jun 4, 2024 | secnewgate.co.uk | Vincent Carroll Battaglino |Tali Robinson

Yesterday the news channels went live to Glaziers’ Hall in London for a Reform UK ‘emergency General Election announcement’. The promise was that one Nigel Farage was making a big announcement. If I’m honest I thought it might be one of those anticlimaxes, like when Rishi Sunak set up the lectern outside Number 10 last October only to make a speech about uniting the country.  After a younger man introduced him, Richard Tice treated us to a long introduction.

May 1, 2024 | secnewgate.co.uk | Vincent Carroll Battaglino |Chris White

We hear a lot about the Red Wall and the Blue Wall, but Labour and Conservative campaigners alike will be focused on how next Thursday’s local elections play out on the Eastern Terrace. On what will be a relatively small council election day, over 10% of contested seats are in Essex. Almost 15% of defending Conservative councillors across the country next week will be in Essex.

Apr 5, 2024 | secnewgate.co.uk | Vincent Carroll Battaglino

A while ago I saw an Evening Standard headline at a train station: “Mayoral race: 100 days to go”. I did a double-take. I confess I’d completely forgotten. It is, of course, only three years after the delayed 2020 election. But it’s also been very low-key. Since Susan Hall – probably the least well-known of the potential candidates – was selected for the Conservatives last July, there have been a few ULEZ set pieces but not much broad impact.