Steve Chilcott is the Reform UK Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Ealing, Southall. We spoke with Steve about his decision to stand.
“I class myself as a classical liberal and believe the old lens of Right vs Left is often now irrelevant”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Steve Chilcott, I’m 54, separated with one teenage son who spends half the week with me! I have lived in London for 24 years, for the last 13 years in Southall. Previously I lived on the South coast, in Portsmouth and grew up near Southampton. I studied Biology at the University of Bath and then a post graduate diploma in Human Resources at the University of Portsmouth. My political past has been mixed, supporting the Lib Dems in Bath during the times of the Poll tax, and Labour in the mid 1990s. I class myself as a classical liberal and believe the old lens of Right vs Left is often now irrelevant. I was a strong supporter of Brexit, supporting UKIP, then the Brexit Party and now, am a proud supporter and member of Reform UK. I am also a very strong advocate for free speech and have occasionally appeared on GB News discussing the matter. It pains me that both Brexit and free speech can be maligned as Right wing issues, when I firmly believe neither are!
“So much in our once great country is broken, institutions such as the BBC, NHS and Civil Service which were once rightly venerated, are now part of the problem”
What made you decide to stand for Reform UK?
Our current first past the post system of democracy has resulted in the Labour and Conservative parties gaining a combined 80% plus of all votes in our elections for many years. The two are now indistinguishable, neither now represent their historic voter base but represent a narrow middle class political elite. Trust and confidence is at a low and the levels of faith in our politicians is at risk of causing more harm. So much in our once great country is broken, institutions such as the BBC, NHS and Civil Service which were once rightly venerated, are now part of the problem. Reform are the only party with truly sensible, pragmatic and common sense policies. I want to be part of the way forward, and Reform provide me with a sense of optimism for the future.
“Our current Labour MP is unfortunately both invisible and silent. His pals in the Labour Party run Ealing Council do little to help stagnation in the area”
You’re the Spokesman for Ealing, Southall what’s made you decide to represent this area?
Having lived in Southall for over 13 years, I see how the area has changed for the worse. It has become run down, dirty, with increasing crime. Our current Labour MP is unfortunately both invisible and silent. His pals in the Labour Party run Ealing Council do little to help stagnation in the area. The area is crying out for someone who speaks for and represents everyone across the constituency, and is proactively working hard for the benefit of everyone. We need to put Southall back on the map, a place all its residents are proud of and which attracts people to visit as a go to place, the Brick Lane of West London!
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?
Holding the Labour run Ealing Council to account, working proactively with the police to address the increasing levels of crime, campaigning to keep all of Warren Farm as a beautiful nature reserve, resolving the ongoing problem of pollution in certain areas, ensuring levels of residential development are matched with infrastructure development and working hard for the huge range of small and large businesses across the constituency.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
You can also find out more about Reform UK at https://www.reformparty.uk/ and contact me at [email protected] or follow me on X (twitter) @OfSouthall.