Labour candidate was senior employee at a scandal-hit housing association that was hit with over 100 reprimands by watchdog

a Work The candidate was a senior employee at a scandal-hit housing association who has been repeatedly condemned by his own party.

Andrew Lewin has worked at Clarion Housing Group since 2021 – hit by more than a hundred watchdog reprimands in just a year – as director of communications and before that head of external communications from 2017.

He is up against senior Tory Grant Shapps in Welwyn Hatfield, Hertfordshire, and the latest polls suggest he may take the seat the Defense Secretary has held since 2005.

But today it can be revealed that Labor politicians have been among the fiercest critics of his employer – Britain’s largest social landlord – including those in his neighboring constituency.

Last year the Hertsmere Constituency Labor Party launched a campaign against Clarion, saying: ‘Labour councilors in the borough have been inundated with complaints from disgruntled tenants. There are concerns about rent increases and fire safety issues, among other things.’

Andrew Lewin (pictured) has been working at Clarion Housing Group – hit by more than 100 watchdog reprimands in just a year – as director of communications since 2021

Labor councilors in east London launched a petition last year over Clarion’s “continued poor performance”, including apartments in Bow, where 50 tenants were left without running water for a week.

Last night a source at Conservative Campaign Headquarters said: ‘With even Labor councilors attacking the landlord, how can the voters of Welwyn Hatfield trust Mr Lewin to represent them in Parliament?’ The Mail approached Mr Lewin for comment.

A Clarion spokesperson said: ‘We have worked hard to learn from the areas where we could have provided a more positive customer experience.

“Mr. Lewin immediately took a leave of absence from the organization when the elections were called on May 22.”