Ealing North Labor candidate James Murray on why he wants to be re-elected as MP – EALING.NEWS – The Voice of Ealing 7 towns

On 4 July 2024, the UK electorate goes to the polls to vote for who they want as a Member of Parliament.

EALING.NEWS asked all the candidates in the three constituencies of Ealing Ealing Central and Acton, Ealing North and Ealing Southall 7 questions about who they are, what they hope to deliver and why residents want to vote for them.

James Murray, who represents Labor in Ealing North, answers the 7 questions:

Tell us a little about yourself, your priorities for the constituency and why you want to be the next Member of Parliament for Ealing North?
I grew up and live in Ealing North and it has been the honor of my life to be elected as its Member of Parliament in 2019. I am running for re-election because I want to keep working to make life better for the people who live here. , and I think it’s time to change the government in our country.

I speak every day to people in Greenford, Perivale, Northolt, West Ealing, Pitshanger or Hanwell who are finding life difficult. Firstly, my priority is to tackle the cost of living crisis so that people in Ealing North are not so worried about making ends meet or whether they will be able to afford the next set of bills, mortgage payments. , or rents.

I know this is something we can only solve with a change at national level and so, as shadow Treasury Secretary, I helped develop Labour’s plans to grow the economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible. as low as possible.

If we have a Labor government, my priorities are also to reduce NHS waiting lists; for more social and council housing and homes for first-time buyers; to crack down on anti-social behaviour; and reduce people’s energy bills through Great British Energy – a new publicly owned clean energy company.

I will also continue to campaign for what we need locally here. For the past few years we have been pushing for a cap on new HMOs – and we hope we are getting close to that. I want to get new banking hubs in areas where bank branches have closed and although we have had setbacks I really hope that our campaign to re-open the Black Horse pub will one day succeed.

What motivates you?
I like to solve problems. I’ve always been like that – I remember when I was a kid, my parents used to say that I would always try to fix things and find solutions to problems.

Today, when I see things in our country not working as they should, or when I meet people in Ealing North who are struggling or not getting a fair deal, my instinct is to try to find a fair and effective solution. That motivated me every day that I was a parliamentarian.

Since being elected in 2019, I have reached out to or helped support local people over 30,000 times. We’ve had some successes – like when I got Boots to open one of the first COVID-19 vaccination centers in London, here in Greenford. But I know that to really take on some of the big challenges we face, we need a change of government.

This is a big part of what motivates me during this general election. I want to keep working to make life better for the people who live here and I think it’s time to change the government in our country so we can really make people’s lives better.

What is your own personal connection to Ealing North or any other part of the borough?
I grew up near Argyle Road in West Ealing with my mother who was a Labor councilor here for four years. My grandparents lived 10 minutes walk away, also in Ealing North. I spent a lot of time with them as a child. My grandmother first got me interested in the Labor Party when I joined her to deliver leaflets in the local area.

It was a great honor to be elected in 2019 to represent the area I grew up in and live in today. My grandparents have sadly passed away – but I still think about them often and sometimes imagine them speaking when I’m speaking in Parliament or campaigning for the Labor Party.

When I walk around Horsenden Hill today, I remember flying kites there when I was little. When I go to Tesco in Perivale on the way home, I remember my grandma taking me there when I was little for a full English breakfast for 99p(!). When I go to Blue Ocean on Pitshanger Lane, I remember how my friend and I used to get chips there after school.

It’s a privilege to represent the area I’ve known all my life and it really drives me to do everything I can to make our local area better and to make life better for everyone who lives here.

What do you consider to be your 5 most important political or personal achievements and what impact did they have?
In my previous job, I was London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing. We established the first program of the City Hall dedicated to the construction of new shared housing. The rate of council house building has reached its highest level in 30 years. I believe this has made a real difference to thousands of families in London – including many here in Ealing North.

When I was elected deputy, I went into covid isolation after only a few months. It was a difficult time for everyone. When the vaccines became available, I was very concerned that there were no vaccination sites in Greenford. I spoke to Boots and the NHS and got them to agree to open one of Boots’ first vaccination centers in London, here in Westway Retail Park.

in 2019 I ran the Ealing Half Marathon to raise money for Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter. It was a personal achievement to finish the race – after about 10 or 11 miles I was definitely falling! More importantly, the money we raised helped install a shower that guests could use at one of the night shelters.

In Parliament, we have been in Opposition since I was elected. But as Shadow Treasury Secretary I put pressure on the Government to do the right thing. When the energy bill crisis hit, we pushed for a one-off tax to help reduce people’s bills. The government initially opposed our plans, but eventually relented.

Finally, I have a neurological condition called “myasthenia gravis” that started in my mid-20s. I have had bad symptoms for several years of debilitating muscle weakness in my face, arms and legs. But thanks to the NHS I am now symptom free. Getting through these difficult years in my life was an important personal achievement for me.

What do you see as the top 5 challenges facing Ealing North and how will you tackle them as an MP?
Housing is a huge challenge for so many people in Ealing North. Too often people are faced with unaffordable rents or mortgages and live in inadequate or overcrowded housing. I will continue to push for more social and council housing, as well as housing for first-time buyers. I also think we need to give private tenants a better deal.

The NHS is under enormous pressure here in Ealing North. I think we need an immediate injection of funding to reduce waiting times. We helped develop anti-evasion plans to help pay for it. In the longer term we need to improve the NHS to make it fit for the future and we also need to focus on social care.

Crime, anti-social behavior and fly-tipping take a toll on the lives of people in Ealing North. I often raise this with the council and think we need more local neighborhood policing. We would fund more police, paid for by reducing wasteful procurement, and set up a new network of youth centres.

Energy bills have put a real strain on people in Ealing North. We need to tear them down for good, which is why we would set up Great British Energy as a new, publicly owned clean energy company. Switching to renewable home energy would also help our energy security and combat climate change.

Eventually, people feel the pinch. With lower wages and higher taxes, it’s too hard for many people to make ends meet. We need to change that by growing our economy, ending the years of chaos we have had to endure. We need this to help fund public services and keep taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible.

What do you love about Ealing?
I think the two things I love most about Ealing North are the people and the green spaces. I love that my friends, neighbors and colleagues – as well as the people I’ve met through my work – come from all walks of life and have connections to so many places and cultures around the world.

Having such a mix of people here makes life interesting. It means that people embrace difference, while also having shared values, such as wanting the best for our families, making sure everyone follows the rules and wanting the best for our local area.

There is also such a strong sense of community in Ealing North – whether it’s people volunteering at Ealing Foodbank, getting involved with HAAGA and Horsenden Grape and Honey Farm, going to Hanwell Town Football Club or driving Wood End Residents Association who always put on such a legendary Christmas lunch for people in the local area.

I also love the green spaces in Ealing North. I go for a long run every weekend (or almost every weekend…). I love the fact that despite living in London, I can do most of my running surrounded by greenery. I regularly run through Pitshanger Park, Perivale Park and Brent Valley Park – and last year I ran for the NHS anniversary in Northala Fields and Rectory Park.

If it’s a warm spring or summer day, I love that I can go to Horsenden Hill for a walk, maybe a walk along the canal, and then go for a drink at the Perivale Brewery.

How accessible will you be to the residents of Ealing North and how can they contact you now and, if elected, how will you ensure you are accessible to them in the future?
Throughout the general election campaign and if re-elected, I will continue to do everything I can to meet and listen to as many people in Ealing North as possible.

I will be gone every day of this election. I find face to face conversation to be the best way to connect with people and I am also contactable by email and phone – details at www.jamesmurray.org/contact.

After I was elected in 2019 and once I got past the deadlock, I was very keen to open a new constituency office, which I did in North Greenford. I host weekly surgeries in my office as well as coffee mornings every few weeks in different parts of Ealing North.

One of my favorite activities as an MP was visiting schools or getting students to come to Parliament – I always get a clear idea from them about what they think is most important! I also get a good idea of ​​what the locals are thinking when we talk on the bus, in the supermarket, in a cafe or on the street.

I believe I can only be a good MP when I know what the people I represent are thinking – and so being approachable is, for me, an absolutely essential part of the job.

Click here for all Ealing North candidates.