On 4 July 2024, the UK electorate goes to the polls to vote for who they want as their Member of Parliament.
EALING.NEWS has asked all candidates standing in the three Ealing constituencies of Ealing Central and Acton, Ealing North and Ealing Southall 7 questions about who they are, what they hope to deliver and why they want residents to vote for them.
Tariq Mahmood standing for the Liberal Democrats in Ealing Southall answers the 7 questions:
Tell us a bit about yourself, your priorities for the constituency and why you want to be the next member of Parliament for Ealing Southall.
I have lived my childhood and youth in Southall. I have fond memories of spending lot of time in Southall with my late dad for many years. I work as an NHS Consultant. I am proud of our sense of community in Southall. I would be honoured to serve Southall in Westminster as a person with practical knowledge of the area. My key priorities in Southall are to enhance local NHS services including prompt access to GP appointments and NHS Dentists. I will work tirelessly to reduce crime. Rising crime is a particular concern around the Broadway, Walpole and Lady Margaret Road. I shall work to improve housing in Southall. New construction should be of appropriate size, and in keeping with character of the local area.
What motivates you?
I have worked in the NHS for almost 40 years now. It is my passion and main motivation. I wish to see the NHS serve the public at its best capability. One Liberal Democrat policy I want to see is for everyone to see their GP within seven days, or within 24 hours if they urgently need to.
What is your own personal connection to either Ealing Southall or any other part of the borough?
As mentioned earlier my connection with Southall is lifelong and I love the area.
What do you consider to be your 5 top political or personal achievements and what impact have they had?
I have previously contested parliament elections from Southall and enabled a significant increase in the vote to the Liberal Democrats. Local people have shown their trust in me. I have been an elected council member of the Higher Education Academy of UK that overseas standards of all Universities in the United Kingdom.
I have previously successfully fought to stop Hospital closures. I have produced and broadcasted weekly TV programs on human empowerment for many years for a Sky Platform channel. Also, the Liberal Democrats managed to work with campaigners of Warren Farm which is in Southall to help stop the Labour-run Ealing Council from siting sporting pitches on the location on Warren Farm where over 20 endangered species were likely to be made extinct locally, but the campaign was successful due to work from the Liberal Democrats locally.
What do you consider to be the top 5 challenges Ealing Southall faces and how will you as the MP address them?
Our community needs an alternative to the chaos and division of the Conservatives, and the out-of-touch Ealing Labour party. Southall deserves an independent-minded voice in parliament – someone who champions 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 call for:
- Giving everyone the right to see their GP within seven days, or within 24 hours if they urgently need to. To deliver on that right, we must train, recruit and retain more GPs and free up more of their time.
- Restoring proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on preventing and solving crimes – especially rape and other violent crime.
- Strengthening rights for renters in the private sector by banning no-fault evictions and making longer tenancies the default, and for social housing tenants by giving them more powers over the management of their homes and estates.
- Scrapping the Conservatives’ draconian anti-protest laws, restoring pre-existing protections for both peaceful assembly and public safety.
- Extend free school meals to all children in primary education 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 should have a truly affordable housing rate of at least 50%. Also, I want to see local authorities having the powers to end the right to buy in their areas and requiring Councils to have a landlord licensing scheme.
- Freeze rail fares.
- Ending sewage discharges by transforming water companies into public benefit companies, banning bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks end, and replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage dumps.
- Scrap the Conservatives’ Illegal Migration Act and provide safe and legal routes to sanctuary for refugees, helping to prevent dangerous Channel crossings.
- Invest significantly in renewable power so that 80% of the UK’s electricity is generated from renewables by 2030.
What do you love about the borough of Ealing?
Ealing Southall is a multi-cultural and diverse community. We have a great variety of different ethnic groups, religions and cultures. All of these live and contribute to wellbeing of the society. I love the harmony we have and would work to further strengthen that.
How accessible will you be to Ealing Southall residents and how can they get in contact with 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 will hold regular advise sessions and can be contacted by writing to me on my email address tariqmahmood@ealinglibdems.org.uk
Click here for all Ealing Southall candidates standing.
