New Ealing MP Pledges To 'Work For All'

Rupa Huq's victory speech promise on NHS, jobs, and housing

It’s an honour and a privilege to stand before you as the Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, the seat I grew up in and was schooled in.

I firstly want to thank the returning officer, council workers, police, and volunteers for their hard work.

I thank my fellow candidates from other parties who fought hard and ran a strong campaign.

Here in Ealing, Acton, Chiswick and bits of NW10 we know what it means to fight hard, and this has certainly been a hard-fought battle. We have sent a clear message that you can’t trust the Tories with the NHS and that we will not stand for our A&E provision being slashed to ribbons with no mandate.

And it’s a victory that has been won not by me, but by the many thousands who have put their trust in me. Above all I want to thank the people of this incredible constituency – these streets made me who I am and its super-diverse communities are a model of 21st century London. The birthplace of the garden suburb movement and cooperative housing.

I want to thank my brilliant campaign team, my agent, and all the volunteers and activists who made this possible. And my family and friends for their love and support. It’s been like my whole life flashing past me... my mum’s friends from swinging Ealing of the sixties and my own teachers from the 70s and 80s who I never even knew had first names.

I’ve knocked on thousands of doors in this campaign, seeing many new faces as well as things I have also seen for the first time in Ealing: the foodbank, Ealing soup kitchen, Ealing churches night-shelter and Ealing Samaritans – who all report unprecedented demand for their services. In Ealing, queen of the suburbs, in 2015, that can’t be right.

So now the hard work begins. To rebuild and restore our NHS, to build the 200,000 new homes a year for local and first time buyers that this constituency, this borough, this city and the nation are crying out for.

And I’m deeply proud and humbled that today I represent you as your of Member of Parliament. Thank you for your decision to choose me as your MP. And thank you to the progressive majority in this seat that has united to defeat the Tories.

Nevertheless, I promise to represent all of you and to listen to what all of you have to say, whether you voted for me or not.

As your MP, I will fight for the NHS, to deliver affordable housing and to create new jobs - while at all times preserving and protecting Ealing, Acton and Chiswick’s quintessential suburban character.

I am honoured to have seen some of Ealing’s great history over the last 42 years. Now, working together, we can make sure Ealing has a great future.

May 14, 2015