About Bell
Hi, my name is Bell Ribeiro-Addy and I am proud to be the newly elected Labour MP for Streatham.
I was born and raised on Brixton Hill and I am indebted to my community, for shaping me for the better. There is no other place like it for its long history of activism, community and faith.
I am a black working-class woman, Christian, and a lifelong socialist who grew up in a Labour family. I stand on a platform that might not get much love from the Daily Mail but I live by the values of my community that has given me so much.
Standing up for Streatham
In me, Streatham has an advocate in Parliament who will listen to and respect all my constituents, work tirelessly for them, and never forget who sent me there and why.
My vision for the constituency is based on fairness, equality and honesty. Whether you are a woman, Black, poor, Muslim, Jewish, immigrant, LGBTQ+, young, sick, disabled, self-employed, renting, studying, I will never stop fighting your corner.
The Tories have failed Streatham. They have failed to keep us safe, they have failed in educating our children, they have failed to give young people the opportunity to own or rent their own home without falling into debt.
I am tired of lying politicians. We live in dangerous times, Boris Johnson’s No Deal Brexit is threatening to crash our economy, putting a complete end to free movement and restricting our rights and the rights of our European friends and family, who call the UK home. Leaving the EU would be catastrophic for our communities.
Whilst the government spends hundreds of millions of pounds on Brexit propaganda, the most vulnerable in our community are being told there’s no more money left. Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster for our country and only a vote for Labour will guarantee that the option to Remain is put back to the people in a second referendum. I will be campaigning to Remain. We cannot leave this decision in the hands of cowardly strongmen, who know nothing of what life is like for people like us.
It’s time for a change
I am inspired by the successful grassroots campaigns in the United States of phenomenal women like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez who have demonstrated that you can run inspiring, clean campaigns and win. I am inspired by my boss, Diane Abbott, who in the face of relentless bullying and abuse, continues to fight for change.
As Diane’s Chief of Staff and Political Advisor, I am most proud of our work together in exposing the Windrush Scandal which forced Amber Rudd’s resignation as Home Secretary.
I am honest, I stand with natural trepidation, knowing the scrutiny and pressure that will come my way but I do so in the knowledge that there is so much more work for me to do for real justice in our community. I am standing because our constituency has suffered unfairly under Conservative and Liberal Democrat austerity. Oppressive cuts have made life more difficult.
I oppose Lambeth Council closure of children’s centres. I support joined-up youth services; education and job-creation schemes promoting decent pay and unionisation.
I oppose precarious work contracts and scapegoating migrants. I support campaigning for protecting and investing in our NHS by giving it proper funding.
I oppose inadequate social housing that tears families apart, benefit sanctions and pensioner fuel poverty. I support the Green New Deal, investing in clean energy and a genuine plan to combat climate change.
As a trade unionist; Labour campaigner, and Lambeth school governor, I’ve seen first hand how casually our public services across the country are being laid to waste by a broken Tory party hell-bent on fulfilling their cynical, anti-democratic Brexit fantasy.
