Posti hopeful of success, Boris Johnson insists he's not ashamed to be a conservative

Steve Tuckwell: «What I'm getting from the doors is total violent opposition to Ulez's scheme.» Photo: Paul Grover/The Telegraph

Looking at Steve Tuckwell's campaign flyers, you'd never guess he was a Conservative.

Former postman who hunted for Boris Johnson's old seat did his best to portray not a party politician, but a dedicated «local man» who knows the constituency inside and out.

Looking at his pamphlets, hung with photos of a 54-year-old man chatting with residents, there is nowhere to see the logo of the Conservative Party . Under the heading «People of Uxbridge and South Ruislip» they could easily be mistaken for a community newsletter.

But speaking in the sunny gardens of the Uxbridge Conservative and Social Club a week before the big vote, he stood his ground. he was proud to represent the party.

“When I introduce myself to the people, I present myself as the Conservative candidate in this by-election,” he said.

To the specific question of whether Seeing his party affiliation from his flyers, he said, «I'm not ashamed to be the Conservative candidate.»

Steve Tuckwell's family ties to the constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip go back a long way — even his grandparents lived in the area. Photo: Paul Grover/The Telegraph

It all looks very much like a local election, and by design. The Tories are trying to requisition a vote next week as a referendum on Sadiq Khan Ulez's controversial expansion outside London, and Mr Tuckwell has insisted stopping those plans is the most important thing.

“What am I?” If I hear from the door, it's total violent opposition to Ules' scheme,” he said.

“It has become quite obvious that this election is a referendum on Ules. I am against Ules, stop candidate Ules. And that's the main message of my campaign for this by-election.»

The Tories' unwillingness to carry their mark at such a critical moment for the party shows how desperate the situation has become for Rishi Sunak, who may soon go down in history as the first prime minister to lose three seats in a day.

Just a year later after the defenestration of Mr. Johnson, and a month after his dramatic resignation from the House of Commons, all traces of the former prime minister were removed from his former constituency. Mr Tuckwell said locals have «turned the page», arguing that a man once widely known as a powerful constituency rarely shows up on the doorstep.

But instead of focusing on their new leader and his five priorities, the Tories have taken the extraordinary step of calling themselves the opposition in Labor-led London, one of the few places in the country where they can make that claim after 13 years in power.

Last week, Boris Johnson briefly called Mr. Tuckwell «very, very» and wished him well. Mr. Sunak is not mentioned at all.

The Labor Party is seen as the front-runner for Uxbridge, although Mr Tuckwell appears to be closing the gap on his challenger Danny Beals in the polls.

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Mr Beals grew up in the area and most of worked as a councilor in Camden for decades. He is currently renting a room in Hillingdon.

With a majority of around 7,000, losing the seat would be a serious blow to the Prime Minister, especially if compounded by defeats elsewhere.

Hoping Tory determined to portray himself as an «outsider». , insisting that no one expects him to win.

He said a Conservative victory in Uxbridge would send Ules «a message so strong» that he would «scare» fellow London MPs ahead of the next election.

The Labor Party, with its candidate Danny Beals, is considered the favorite in the Uxbridge contest. Photo: Susannah Ireland/Reuters

“If I were destined to win this election, which I do not expect to win, it would send the strongest signal and it would put Sadiq Khan, Keir Starmer and his Camden candidate under tremendous pressure to reconsider Ulez, weaken him significantly or refuse it. that would be my preferred option,” he said.

Mr Khan is set to expand the Ulez, London’s low-emission zone, from August to cover all 32 boroughs.

Motorists will be forced to fork out £12.50 a day if they drive non-compliant vehicles within the allowed range. new frontiers.

The by-election in Uxbridge was prompted by Mr Johnson's shock resignation last month in protest of a partisan investigation by the Committee on Privilege, which he denounced as a «witch hunt».

Finding that he had deliberately lied to Parliament about parties violating the Downing Street lockdown, the commission recommended that the former Tory leader be barred from the Commons for 90 days. But before MPs could vote on the conclusions, he immediately resigned.

He was quickly followed by staunch ally Nigel Adams, who, along with the resignation of David Warburton, put Mr. Sunak on track for three by-elections later scheduled for the same day.

Boris fades into the background

Mr Tuckwell said he «looked through» the committee's report and agreed with its findings, but declined to say how he would have voted in the Commons.

For his part, Mr Johnson seems , glad to fade into the background. Asked if he sought the former leader's advice about competing at Uxbridge, Mr Tuckwell said Mr Johnson gave him a 'very, very' call last week to wish him well. The chat lasted 30-45 seconds.

“I didn’t fit in much,” he admitted.

“He just wished good luck, I hope you are doing well. That's it.»

He added, «I thanked him, and that was the end of the conversation.»

Party loyalty

Though Mr Tuckwell, seemingly running the Tory campaign, he said that he never wavered in his loyalty to the party.

His mother was a «staunch» Labor supporter, and his father was a Liberal. Both red and yellow posters were displayed at his childhood home in West Drayton.

He said he «gravitated toward the idea of ​​conservative values» when he worked and earned. His first job was shelving at Tesco on Saturdays when he was still at school.

“My parents respected my views, and it was not a political household. My father also delivered leaflets for the Liberals,” he said.

Mr Tuckwell followed in his father’s footsteps as a postman, riding “one of those wobbly old bikes” that he “really liked.”

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After a couple of years in the mail delivery business, he began to move up the corporate ladder, taking on management and leadership positions, and ended up in the company's logistics department. He has been in business for three decades.

Family ties to the constituency

Mr. Tuckwell's family ties to the constituency date back generations—even his grandparents lived in the area. He was born at Hillingdon Hospital; went to elementary and high school in the area; got his first job at Yeusli; bought his first house in Ruislip Gardens; and started a family. At 54, he has never lived anywhere else.

“Every moment of my existence has been spent in this community—except holidays,” he joked.

There has been much speculation about whether Mr. Johnson can return to the political fray after his dramatic exit last month. Mr. Tuckwell said it was a question for the former prime minister.

“He has his own priorities now. I mean, he just had another baby. I'm sure he'll focus on that, and after the new chapter he's chosen for himself,» he said.

«But my new chapter wins this by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip about priorities, which I am very focused on. And then, if you look at what the experts are saying, I'm a loser. I'm not expected to win this election at all.

«The odds are against me, so I have to work incredibly hard to get my message across to the community about what I stand for and how I can represent it.»