Simon Hughes’s Silver Jubilee

It’s hard to believe that it’s 25 years since Simon Hughes won the sensational Bermondsey by-election, seizing what had previously been a safe Labour seat. What’s more, he has hung onto the seat despite Labour throwing everything they could at it. This has been thanks to an extraordinary record of hard work in dealing with people’s everyday problems, from housing through to safety on the streets. At times, Simon went far beyond the normal call of duty, such as in the case of the youth who was kicked to death by thugs; Simon had to be given police protection after he worked to persuade local people to overcome their fears and to give evidence that eventually led to a successful conviction.

One of the police officers who was involved in that landmark case was among the throng who filled the Harris Academy in Bermondsey last night for a 25th. anniversary bash. Though sadly some key people from 1983, such as David Rebak,  have passed away, many are both still around and were present. It was good to see (Lord) Eric Avebury (the victor of the Orpington by-election of 1962), (Lord) Tom McNally (LibDem Leader in the House of Lords), and Graham Watson, Leader of the transnational Liberal Democrat Group (ALDE) in the European Parliament.

A whole evening’s entertainment had been laid on, including a ‘This Is Your Life’ presentation, with constituency chair Gary Glover acting as Master of Ceremonies. There were some suitably cringe-making photos from years ago, and lots of jokes about Simon’s record for punctuality, but the whole atmosphere was one of deep affection. Simon was the sole LibDem MP in London for years, a situation that has since been utterly transformed. And as he enters his final months as Party President, he has much he can feel proud about. When I left the celebrations at nearly 11pm, he was still dancing, garlanded by Sri Lankan Tamils, full of energy and commitment.

www.simonhughes.org.uk