“In Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Boris Johnson is big on words, little on action”

The following article was written by Elizabeth Evenden-Kenyon and published on the Lib Dem website on July 25.

In Uxbridge and South Ruislip Boris Johnson is big on words, little on action, and completely lost when it comes to listening. When I talk with constituents, three key issues come up time and again: Brexit, Heathrow, and Police presence in the constituency.

These key issues are invariably raised alongside frustrations that Boris Johnson’s words are meaningless because he cannot be trusted. Take policing, for example: in November 2017, Mr Johnson claimed he was ‘disappointed and mystified’ at the police station being closed in his constituency. Yet it was Boris Johnson who introduced the closures of 65 police stations across London, including that in his constituency, during his time as Mayor of London.

Heathrow is another case in point where his words were just sound and bluster, leading to disappointment (and that’s putting it mildly) for local residents. Johnson famously claimed on LBC that he would lay prostrate ‘in front of the bulldozers’ to ensure that Heathrow’s third runway would not go ahead. Yet when the vote came in 2018, he scarpered to Afghanistan rather than remain in the UK and support his constituency.

And speaking of Remaining, YouGov polls have consistently shown since mid-2018 that Uxbridge and South Ruislip is a Remain constituency. Once again, he refuses to listen. That said, it’s also hard to get the Labour candidate, Ali Milani, to listen. He refuses to talk about Brexit, and was a no-show at the recent People’s Vote event in Uxbridge (14 July 2019). Nor has he attended any of the marches (including Pride, for that matter). The silence is stark and revealing.

I have consistently argued that we must Stop Brexit and I stand with our new leader, Jo Swinson, in her unswerving commitment to do so. I’m also helping empower constituents to ensure their voices are heard at the forthcoming Heathrow consultation day (20 August). And I am collating concerns and evidence on the impact of Johnson’s closure of our Police station, advocating for residents.

The wonderful people of Uxbridge and South Ruislip have been let down for too long. I am the one, clear voice championing the Remain cause for residents, and I will not let ego or petty political sparring get in the way of supporting people who deserve our assistance and who need a role model against soundbites, hate speech, and the cult of personality. Together, we can achieve so much and we will – along with that much-needed Exit from Brexit.