Londoners have been told to ‘hold their nerve’ by a veteran Conservative MP for a seat on the outskirts ahead of a general election. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has represented Chingford and Woodford Green in the House of Commons since 1992.
In 2019, he was re-elected with 48.47 per cent of the vote compared to Labour’s 45.87 per cent. But this majority may be wiped out at the next poll, expected in the second half of this year, as the latest YouGov/Times nationwide voting intention poll has the Conservatives on 18 percentage points, and Labour on 44.
When asked outside the Greene Man pub if he was worried about his chances, Sir Iain said: “No. I’m never worried about it; we just campaign. We’re campaigning in what people said I wouldn’t be able to hold for years now, and I’m still here.”
READ MORE: When local election results will be announced and why they are so late
On why he is confident of retaining his seat, he replied: “Because I love this constituency. I’ve dedicated over 30 years of my life to here, and I get on very well with all the residents here. I like them very much indeed, and I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Sir Iain added: “I believe that most of the British public in the constituency, they all share many of the same values that I share… about policing, about transport, about the ULEZ, about the way that the mayor has run London.”
The Tory MP said that there was ‘no need’ to extend the £12.50 charge zone for non-compliant vehicles to Outer London, references recent disruption on the Central line, the mayor spending £6 million on rebranding London Overground lines, the ‘terrible attack’ in Hainault on Tuesday (April 30) and shoplifters ‘without a care in the world’ operating locally.
When asked if his personal reputation could play a role, he said: “Well I don’t say my personal reputation is any more than anybody else’s, but I do say they know who I am here.”
People across London and much of the UK will be going to the polls today. Londoners are going to the ballot box to vote for a mayor, as well as representatives in the London Assembly.
MyLondon will be sending out WhatsApp alerts with the latest news, analysis, exclusives and many more insights so you’re fully informed. We will also share other political news.
To sign up for WhatsApp alerts from MyLondon, click here.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the MyLondon team.
We also treat our subscribers to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
‘It’s not been easy’
Regarding other London seats currently held by Tories, such as Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Sutton and Cheam, Beckenham and Chipping Barnet, Sir Iain said: “We’ve just got to work at it, show people what the problems are.
“It’s not been easy. We’ve had a huge blow under Covid, people forget that. A huge amount of money was spent to help people not crash [and become] unemployed. We had lots of support going on, and then the war in Ukraine, cost of living problems.
“These weren’t invented by the British Conservative government. They were actually events beyond our control. But, we’ve dealt with them, and we’re moving out and things are beginning to get better. So I ask people to hold their nerve, because this could all be destroyed by a very bad Labour government.”
Asked if Steve Tuckwell would retain his seat after winning a by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip last year, he added: “You don’t look into the future. All I say to you is you work as hard as you can, you make your case to the British public, there are decent people, they care about their country, they care about their environment, and they want to know the people that are going to run it are going to be the ones that actually get the job done.”
MyLondon approached London Labour for a response, but a source declined to comment.
Don’t miss out on the biggest stories from across the city. Sign up to MyLondon’s The 12 HERE for the 12 biggest stories each day.
