A Tory MP has campaigned to open a fish and chip shop in his constituency during a cost of living crisis.
MP’s Campaign for Chip Shop
Conservative MP Steve Tuckwell has initiated a campaign to introduce a fish and chip shop to a section of his constituency, contradicting himself. Tuckwell spoke of his dismay at the fact that there was no fish and chip shop in Uxbridge town centre, causing critics to point out a major flaw.
Tuckwell, representing Uxbridge & South Ruislip, took to social media to advocate for establishing a chip shop in Uxbridge’s centre. He cited his disbelief that there were chip shops in the surrounding areas, but critics suggest that there are more important matters to deal with.
Tuckwell said in a statement online, “We have a fish & chip shop in Cowley & one near St Andrew’s Park, but we don’t in Uxbridge Town Centre.”
Past Voting Record
Scrutiny arose when it was revealed that Tuckwell had previously voted against a similar proposal during a planning meeting in 2019. Tuckwell announced he was “launching a campaign to get us a fish & chip shop in Uxbridge Town Centre” despite this being an election year.
Tuckwell’s previous decision to vote against having a fish and chip shop in the area has made people concerned about his true motivation towards the campaign. The Tory MP insisted that having a chip shop in the area would “support our high street, it will support business and it will help the local economy”.
Labour’s Response to Idea
Labour’s candidate for the area, Danny Beales, highlighted Tuckwell’s hypocrisy on the matter, arguing that the idea is a non-issue.
Beales, the Tory MP’s opponent, claimed that he didn’t know anyone in the area who’s “concerned about the lack of another fish & chip shop”. Beales argued that there are more pressing matters to address as members of the constituency face a cost-of-living crisis.
Beales stated that the people were more “worried about the cost of living, NHS, and library closure” in the area than whether they have a fish and chip shop.
Tory Party Defeat in By-elections
The Tory Party has lost several recent by-elections, showing that the public is growing concerned with the country’s leadership. Tuckwell’s idea to introduce a fish and chip shop to the area instead of focusing on more key issues could be seen as a last-ditch attempt to win over voters.
Voters were originally weary of voting for a Labour MP due to the possible expansion of the Mayor of London’s ULEZ scheme into the area. Sadiq Khan, Labour’s Mayor of London, has already promised voters that the scheme would not be expanded further after growing discontent from Londoners.
With the ULEZ concern out of the way and Labour looking to inflict a landslide victory against the Tories in the general election, Tuckwell’s time may be over.
Know Your Place
Labour is surging ahead of the Conservative Party in recent polls with a score of 40%, while the Tories have just 21%, with Reform UK just five points behind the Tories.
Tuckwell’s concerns about opening a chip shop instead of tackling the main issues in the area could be seen as the Tory MP’s last throw of the dice.
The post Chip Shop Crusade: Uxbridge Tories’ Curious Campaign Draws Criticism first appeared on Swift Feed.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Gorodenkoff.