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gained a seat (in Tooting's Furzedown ward) from the Conservatives; a direct result of Stuart's emphasis on local campaigning.

In December 2006 Stuart was elected to the management board of the London Labour Party, representing the Capital's trade unions. He also serves on the national and London political committees of Unite (Amicus).

When Putney Labour Party started looking for a new parliamentary candidate in March 2007, local members urged Stuart to seek the nomination.

After winning the nomination of every single Labour Party branch in the constituency and of his union Amicus on Sunday 10th June, Stuart was chosen

by local Labour Party members from across Putney, Roehampton and Southfields to stand to become the next Member of Parliament for our area at the coming general election.

He won over 70% of the votes in the first round of voting; a resounding endorsement of Stuart's unparalleled blend of leadership, experience and commitment to the constituency.

Putney was one of the very first constituencies to select a candidate for the coming general election - a measure of the importance the Labour Party places on our constituency.

Since being selected, Stuart has been working hard across the constituency.

His campaign to keep Newlands Hall, a community centre in Putney Vale, open stalled the Conservatives' closure plans.

He led the "Don't K.O. our P.O." campaign to save two Putney branch post offices from closure in early 2008,

which over 800 local people signed up.

Since 2005 Stuart has been leading the campaign to smarten up Putney High Street which is grubby, dirty, cluttered, full of the wrong sorts of shops, polluted, congested and crime-ridden.

He's held meetings with Transport for London and South West Trains to improve local public transport and in the new year 2008 was able to announce plans for a major upgrade of Putney mainline station.

In the Summer of 2008 Stuart launched a campaign for genuine action to tackle dangerous dogs following a spate of attacks and incidents throughout the constituency. In July 2008 Stuart met with the Minister responsible for controlling dogs, Jonathan Shaw MP, to present some local views about the problem.

Stuart also held top-level meetings with the Housing Minister Caroline Flint MP following his decision to make housing

his number 1 priority. This in stark contrast to Putney's Conservative MP who hasn't asked a single parliamentary question or motion on the local housing crisis since she was elected.

Stuart has taken up dozens of problems and concerns of local people have asked for his help with: council tenants in Southfields getting neglect of their homes sorted out; sorting out the citizenship of a Wandsworth soldier prevented from serving his country because of bureaucracy; helping pensioners in Glendene sheltered housing scheme claim their Veterans Badges and many more besides.

He's also met with residents' associations all over Putney, The Putney Society, local Police, faith groups and other community organisations.

An avid QPR supporter, Stuart plays for a Sunday League football team based at the Richardson Evans playing fields in Putney Vale.

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