The elections are now over and Londoners have spoken. Sadiq Khan was re-elected as mayor of London and I have been returned as the London Assembly member for City and East.

I am very grateful to you for putting your trust in me. My majority was over 78,000 but as I said at the declaration, I do not and never will take your vote for granted. Every vote must be earned and respected. And that is why, from day one this week, I will work to address the issues I campaigned on.

East London Advertiser: The spirit of east London, like that shown by the Match Girls, has always been equal to a challengeThe spirit of east London, like that shown by the Match Girls, has always been equal to a challenge (Image: submitted)

During the election I spoke a lot about “jobs, jobs, jobs”. Working with the borough councils and others, I will develop that aspect of my London Moving East programme further, under the name East London Futures, looking at new ways to attract investment into east London as we rebuild post-Covid.

I will also work with the mayor and the boroughs to get more policing resources in east London, to provide more truly affordable housing and to make further environmental improvements and fight climate change.

The fire last week in Blackwall underlines that the post-Grenfell cladding scandal is not over, despite the work done since 2017. I will redouble my efforts to get help for leaseholders and fix this issue during this next term.

There are many challenges ahead of us but the spirit of east London – that of the suffragettes, the Match Girl strikers and the Poplar Rates Rebels – has always been equal to a challenge.