AT 23 years old, I am asking for your support in this selection because I believe that I have both the passion and the skills necessary to win the election and offer a radical agenda for change in City Hall.

I am standing to be a Labour candidate because I believe in a London for the many. We have some of the richest places in the country across London, but we also have some of the poorest. It is time for us to unleash the potential of everyone by transforming this imbalance and returning power to ordinary Londoners.

Over 50 per cent of London’s wealth is owned by the richest 10 per cent. The bottom 50 per cent own just 5 per cent of London’s wealth. And the wealth of someone in the top 10 per cent is 295 times greater than someone in the bottom 10 per cent. These are stark figures which show the extent of the problem of inequality across our city.

This inequality effects absolutely everything. Under the Tories, it has only been getting worse. Most councils across London have lost over 60 per cent of their funding since the Tories came to power in 2010. These cuts have had serious consequences. On the issues that massively impact the daily lives of Londoners — housing, transport, the environment, knife crime and many others — we have been crushed under the weight of the austerity agenda.

I have a track record of fighting inequality, and it is one that I am proud of. I previously worked on Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign to become leader of the Labour Party and I have been a solid ally of Jeremy’s socialist vision since the moment that he announced he was standing. I want to be a voice for this vision here in London.

We can use the powers of the London Assembly to make a real difference. But we can only do that if we have socialist policies introduced at City Hall to create a London that works for working people, as well as protecting the vulnerable.

In starting my campaign, I want to reach out to Labour Party members across London to hear what they want from this campaign. I am a firm supporter of a truly open and democratic Labour Party and I believe that policy and positions should be decided by all of us as a whole. My candidacy does not make me worth any more than any other Labour member. This is something that we all need to make clear to our currently elected politicians.

I do have my own ideas for London which I have built with community activists and campaigners across the city. I want London to be the first “green industrial revolution” city in the world. I want to see a revolution in terms of genuinely affordable housing for Londoners, with our city home to the rebirth of quality council houses for all.

I want to see the issue of crime in our city tackled in the round, with the discussion surrounding police numbers joined up with a discussion on the drastic cuts levelled against youth and community services as well as a much-needed debate on our current drugs policy. And I want to see the Assembly explore how we properly assist the disabled and the elderly across our city, who give so much to London and yet get so little back.

This is just some of the thinking at the centre of this campaign. But when it comes to developing the actual platform and the policies I would push in City Hall, I want to have a full and frank discussion with Labour members across London. We cannot continue with our current political situation where most politicians seem as distant as ever from the communities that they are supposed to represent.

You’ll notice that some of these ideas extend beyond City Hall. I believe that it is important that they do and that we are ambitious for London. Few have truly grasped the role of Assembly Member to take these issues beyond City Hall, and that would be one of my main priorities.

I am proud to have already been endorsed in this campaign by a number of friends from across the labour movement, including the CWU, Aslef, BFAWU and other trade unionists. I am grateful for John McDonnell’s early support, and I am equally grateful for the Labour members who have already been in touch to say they want to get involved.

My pledge to Labour members is a simple one: if I go into City Hall, we all go into City Hall.

I am looking forward to this campaign as a real opportunity to present an optimistic vision for London. I want to get as many people involved as possible and plan on making myself accessible both online and offline throughout the process.

It might seem like it will be a struggle to elect a 23-year-old socialist to City Hall — but what is the point of being a member of the Labour Party if it isn’t to struggle! And it is a struggle that I am ready to fight. I hope to have you alongside me.

Follow the campaign at https://twitter.com/liamyoung.