Dear John

In 2012, I quit a fifteen-year long career in the civil service.

It is not a decision I took lightly. I grew up with a dedication to public service in my blood, having watched my Dad serve as a teacher and my mother as a nurse. I quit because I had become frustrated with politics and wanted to do something about it.

But at least I left on my own terms. This week we’ve seen long-serving civil servants forced out of office, following accusations of bullying and intimidation in Whitehall.

This is a disgrace. Not only because it follows the pattern of this Conservative Government’s willingness to undermine the foundations of our democracy - from the media to the courts and now the civil service -  but also because this approach makes for bad policy.

We need a diversity of opinions and people willing to challenge the views of politicians to get good outcomes.

We need our political leaders to lead by example with kindness. It sets the standard for acceptable behaviour and is the most effective thing for motivating a highly-productive team.

And that’s why I’m proud to put kindness at the heart of my vision for London.

Kind regards

Siobhan Benita

Lib Dem Candidate for Mayor of London

p.s. if one email a week isn’t enough for you, remember you can follow my daily thoughts on twitter too!

LOVE LONDON

How the Women of the World festival changed my life (Marie Claire)

It's the 10th anniversary of London's Women of the World (WOW) festival and I'm so proud of the impact it's had, beautifully explained in this piece by Marisa Bate. I'll be speaking there tomorrow about what more we need to do in London.

BETTER LONDON

Tube dust: Union demands tests into 'toxic' particles (BBC News)

I have a lot of sympathy with the Tube Union on this issue. For staff and travellers, it’s crucial that we understand what impact underground pollution is having on our health.

BENITA IN THE NEWS

Silvertown tunnel an ‘environmental betrayal’, say Lib Dems (The Guardian)

Mayoral candidate Siobhan Benita teams up with Merton LibDems for River Wandle clean-up (London Post)

Hand sanitisers at tube and train stations to help contain coronavirus (Siobhan Benita)

MORE HEADLINES

Siobhan Benita tells BBC Radio 5Live that if civil servants are not able to speak truth to power, every person in the country will suffer. (BBC Radio5 Live)

Election 2020: Benita, Berry and Readhead set out environment policies in absence of Bailey, Stewart and Khan (OnLondon)

Siobhan Benita tells LBC why the resignation of Sir Philip Rutnam should concern us all (LBC)

“The Conservative idea that you can simply arrest your way out of knife crime is proof that they have no understanding of what needs to be done" says Siobhan Benita (Guardian Series East London)

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