Ealing Southall Liberal Democrat candidate Tariq Mahmood on why he wants to become an 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.

Tariq Mahmood, who represents the Liberal Democrats in Ealing Southall, 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 Southall.
I spent my childhood and youth in Southall. I have fond memories of spending a lot of time in Southall with my late father for many years. I work as an NHS consultant. I am proud of our sense of community in Southall. I would be honored to serve Southall in Westminster as someone with practical knowledge of the area. My key priorities in Southall are to improve local NHS services, including prompt access to GP appointments and NHS dentists. I will work tirelessly to reduce crime. The rise in crime is a particular concern around Broadway, Walpole and Lady Margaret Road. I will work to improve housing in Southall. New construction should be of appropriate size and be in keeping with the character of the local area.

What motivates you?
⁠I have worked in the NHS for nearly 40 years. It is my passion and main motivation. I want to see the NHS serving the public to the best of its ability. One Liberal Democrat policy I want to see is for everyone to see their GP within seven days or within 24 hours if they have an urgent need.

What is your personal connection to Ealing Southall or any other part of the borough?
⁠As I mentioned earlier, my connection to Southall is lifelong and I love the area.

What do you consider to be your 5 most important political or personal achievements and what impact did they have?
⁠I have previously contested the by-election in Southall and allowed a significant increase in the Lib Dem vote. The locals showed their trust in me. I was an elected member of the board of the UK Higher Education Academy, to the overseas standards of all UK universities.

We have previously fought successfully to stop hospital closures. I produced and broadcast weekly TV programs on human empowerment for many years for a Sky Platform channel. The Lib Dems also managed to work with campaigners from Warren Farm, which is in Southall, to help stop Labour-led Ealing Council from putting sports pitches on the Warren Farm site, where more than 20 of endangered species would likely disappear locally, but the campaign was successful because of the work of the Liberal Democrats at local level.

What do you see as the top 5 challenges facing Ealing Southall and how will you tackle them as an MP?
Our community needs an alternative to the chaos and division of the Tories and the Ealing Labor Party. Southall deserves an independent voice in parliament – ​​someone who supports our Liberal values ​​of respect, equality and diversity. I will be that voice. As your Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall, I would ask:

• Giving everyone the right to see their GP within seven days or within 24 hours if they have an urgent need. To fulfill this right, we need to train, recruit and retain more GPs and free up more of their time.
• Re-establishing proper community policing where officers are visible, trusted and focused on preventing and solving crime – particularly rape and other violent crime.
• Strengthening the rights of private sector tenants by banning no-fault evictions and making longer tenancies by default, and for social housing tenants, giving them more powers over the management of their homes and properties.
• Repeal the conservatives’ draconian anti-protest laws, restoring pre-existing protections for both peaceful assembly and public safety.
• The extension of free school meals to all primary school children and all secondary school children whose families receive Universal Credit.
• Building more truly affordable and social homes in the right places so that the Council has a truly affordable housing rate of at least 50%. I also want to see local authorities have the power to end right to buy in their areas and require councils to have a landlord licensing scheme.
• Freeze rail fares.
• Ending sewage spills by turning water companies into public interest companies, banning bonuses for water bosses until spills and leaks are stopped and replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage deposits.
• Abandon the Tories’ Illegal Migration Act and provide safe and legal routes to refugees, helping to prevent dangerous Channel crossings.
• Invest significantly in renewable energy so that 80% of the UK’s electricity is generated from renewable sources by 2030.

What do you love about Ealing?
Ealing Southall is a multicultural and diverse community. We have a wide variety of different ethnic groups, religions and cultures. All these live and contribute to the welfare of society. I like the harmony we have and would work to strengthen it even more.

How accessible will you be to the residents of Ealing Southall and how can they contact you now and if elected how will you ensure you are accessible to them in the future?
⁠I would always be accessible to people and hold regular counseling sessions and can be reached by writing to my email address [email protected]

Click here for all Ealing Southall candidates.