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.
Georgie Callé standing for the Conservatives 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’m Georgie and I’m The Conservative Party candidate for Ealing Southall at the 2024 general election. In my day job I am a senior public relations professional with experience working with growing businesses that are delivering jobs in Britain, many in West London. For example, I’m proud of my work helping to launch The Elizabeth line which is now providing great opportunities for jobs and investment across Ealing and Southall.
My three core priorities this election are to reduce crime, improve physical and mental health services and make sure infrastructure keeps up with local needs.
We need a change from Labour’s poor record in the borough and London more generally. It is about time that there is an MP for Ealing Southall who stands up for residents and doesn’t take the neighbourhood’s support for granted. Having successfully set up my own business and helped raised over £5 million for charity at the same time as succeeding in my career, I know I can deliver.
What motivates you?
Helping people, community service and making things better. For me it is personal, with the desire to help deep-rooted. I have overcome a number of challenges in my life and I want to ensure that the next person to face those issues has more support and finds them easier to manage than I did.
What is your own personal connection to either Ealing Southall or any other part of the borough?
My mum was born in Perivale and my grandparents lived and worked around the borough. I have fond memories of stories of Ealing from them as I was growing up. Should I have the honour of being elected as the MP for Ealing Southall, my first priority would be to continue in my family’s footsteps and set up home here myself.
What do you consider to be your 5 top political or personal achievements and what impact have they had?
That’s a big question! Since 2018, I have been working with The Childhood Trust, London’s child poverty charity, to raise money to help alleviate holiday hunger and raise awareness of the challenges the poorest children in our city face. Through media coverage campaigns I’ve worked on have raised over £5 million which has been distributed to projects across London.
Always an advocate for affordable yet sensible housing, as a local Councillor I also supported the development of a neighbourhood plan, where I also learnt the intricacies of planning politics and the importance of building right and getting infrastructure in services in place to support new residents.
During the pandemic I set up my own ‘side hustle’ business which aimed to provide a new home for designer handbags which otherwise would be left unloved or in landfill. Through this venture I re-homed hundreds of items. I also learned a great deal about the tax system and working with HMRC, which I hope will be of use when helping constituents navigate it!
In my day job, I have worked on a significant energy efficiency campaign which has promoted different ways households can reduce their energy bills and, as mentioned before, I was thrilled to be part of the launch of The Elizabeth line which is encouraging additional jobs and investment in Ealing and Southall.
What do you consider to be the top 5 challenges Ealing Southall faces and how will you as the MP address them?
The number one challenge I hear about from residents is crime, whether that’s knife crime, shoplifting or anti-social behaviour. From day one as Ealing Southall’s MP I will be campaigning for the re-opening of Southall police station and work with the police to ensure they are able to use the additional officers and funding created by the Conservative Government to make Ealing and Southall safer places to live and work.
Other issues I am highlighting in my campaign include: improving health services (Ealing borough has the lowest number of GPs per head than any other part of London), pressuring for more affordable housing while ensuring that local infrastructure and services keep up and putting Ealing and Southall forward to be one of the new Education Investment Areas which will improve teacher recruitment and retention.
What do you love about the borough of Ealing?
Ealing and Southall are inherently optimistic places, full of people doing their best for their families and communities. I love the great diversity of the area and how welcoming people have been to me.
There’s so much opportunity for residents here. I think my three pledges of protecting our streets and businesses against crime, enhancing health services and ensuring infrastructure keeps up with housing will make Ealing and Southall even better places to live and work.
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?
As your MP I will be as available as I can be to residents, being easily contactable online as well as ensuring I spend at least one day a week going to community events, visiting schools, care homes and other local organisations. If anyone would like to contact me now, you’re more than welcome to do so via X/Twitter (@georgiecalle), Instagram (@ealingsouthall) or Facebook (Georgie Callé for Ealing Southall).
I want to be a relatable MP. Someone who is open about their experiences, but not blinded by them. I’m excited to get to know more of you and hearing about your priorities over the next few weeks.
