To be a bit disappointed in Chuka Umunna

[Viviennemary]

I thought Chuka Umunna would be a good candidate for Labour to re-invent itself and appeal to more voters. I thought he spoke well and sincerely and was a lot better than Ed Miliband. But I read today that he lives in a £1m house reportedly funded by a Family Trust located in the tax haven of Jersey. How can ordinary folk take him and his party seriously going on about tax avoidance.

[JoanHickson]

I had no plans to vote for him as leader anyway.

[Radiatorvalves]

Marking place.

I live in Chuka's constituency. My nice, but ordinary house is apparently valued well above £1m. I did however fund it myself without a trust.

I'm not labour, but I think he is ok.

Best get some popcorn...interested to see what others think. And be good to have some real info about the jersey trust.

[lalalonglegs]

His father's family had/have some standing back in Nigeria and his mother's father was a famous QC so I'm not surprised he has some of the trappings of middle-class wealth. He is the MP for the neighbouring constituency to mine and, to be honest, it's hard to imagine buying a family home in that area for much less than £1 million (I know, I know), it probably cost much less when he bought it. His father is believed to have been killed deliberately in an "accidental" car crash when he was a child and I suspect any money that came from him may have been put in a trust for the children's future - if that's where the money came from, I'm not sure that it puts me off him - he seems articulate although I don't quite know what he stands for. My brother refuses to contemplate him because he (apparently) collects watches so he may have a whole host of prejudices to tackle...

[ltk]

The non-Daily Mail version is that his mother and father bought the house. They are both dead. They set up the trust. He now owns the house.

[WD41]

Actually it's his mother's house, which he used to live in.

The 1m thing is a red herring too, it looks like a pretty normal house to me.

[lalalonglegs]

Too many he's and him's:

Chuka's father is believed to have been killed deliberately in an accidental car crash when Chuka was a child and I suspect that any money that came from C's father...

[NotCitrus]

He's my MP. He's lived around here all his life. If he bought a house say 15 years ago, it would have quadrupled in price since - I know that because the price of mine has trebled in only 9 years and I've been following local house prices for longer.

No idea about the trust, but I do know he worked hard to get elected (if I didn't get to chat to him and his challenger at the station at least weekly in 2010, I felt quite unloved), and he puts effort into the area. He also has ideas for creating more jobs and apprenticeships that may actually work and has good links with businesses to make them happen.

Some people here say now he just turns up to local events briefly and then goes, but that's part of being an MP, having huge numbers of appointments. They'd be more critical if he turned half of them down.

Though the "British Obama" cliche is cringemaking. He's slim and young and black and a politician, yes, but that's about it.

[ltk]

I have no difficulty believing the house is worth £1m now. Probably was nothing like that money when she bought it.

[TheoriginalLEM]

Would you only vote for someone who lived in a council house on job seekers allowance then?

Saying that, most of the politicians come from very privaliged backgrounds and i struggle with how they can relate to the average person.

I have heard good and bad about him, i might have to read for myself to make my own mind up, although im not a member of the labour party.

[manicinsomniac]

Doesn't sound like he's done anything wrong to me, I think he'd be a good leader.

I think I'd prefer Cooper though.

[Viviennemary]

I also read he spends £1.2K each on his bespoke suits. I don't have a problem with that. And I suppose £1mfor a house in London might be the norm. But it was the trust fund thing that I didn't approve of. But it would be different if the trust was to provide for under aged children rather than just purely to avoid tax. And I acknowledge the right wing press will be after anyone they think might be good for the Labour party.

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

Staunch lefty are you Viv?

[ltk]

I hadn't taken any notice of him, but he must be good if they rightwing press are after him already. And all they've got are expensive suits and a trust set up by his parents.

[WD41]

That'll be enough. All they had last time was 2 kitchens and a bacon sandwich

[Tanith]

Here we go already

And you read all this where, Op?

[SilasGreenback]

Dh was telling me that at university he was deciding if he should join Labour or Conservative. He knew he wanted to be an MP but was less committed to either party.

I guess he may well be more genuine now (& I can't remember who he said told him as he is older than CU so not a contemporary) but it did strike me he is another career politician rather than anything else.

[lalalonglegs]

WD41

[TheRollingCrone]

I think he has Shark eyes. Not keen at all. I would love to see a black PM or even a Gay black PM or even a female black gay PM back peddles awaits deletion

[Thymeout]

Precious - I don't know if you were watching BBC on Election Night, but Nick Robinson made an extraordinary speech in Ed Balls' favour when he lost his seat.

He said many loathe him now, but he will be back, perhaps as Yvonne's consort, and 'I predict you will love him'.

He said there is another side to him which the public haven't seen, the football, piano playing Ed and that he knows more about economics than anyone else in parliament.

I doubt that NR is a Labour supporter. If he is, he hides it well.

[Thymeout]

Sorry 'Yvette' not 'Yvonne'.

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

Thyme Nick Robinson is a well known Conservative :) I think he may even have applied for candidacy once.