A new London MP has told of life in suburban Chipping Barnet which he stressed is not the home of broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson.
In his maiden speech, Labour MP for Chipping Barnet Dan Tomlinson told of the struggles faced by people bringing up families in outer London and the “aspirations of suburban life”.
He highlighted the differences with Chipping Norton, where Clarkson, the former Top Gear presenter who recently opened a new pub, lives.
At the start of his address, he told MPs in the Commons: “Chipping Barnet is not, as some may assume, in the Cotswolds, which is home to Chipping Norton and Jeremy Clarkson’s farm, although we do have 14 farms in the constituency.
“We are, in fact, a suburb of London, part of the London borough of Barnet, and it is the suburbs that I would like to speak about today, for it is my contention that when a political party understands the suburbs, it is able then, and only then, to speak on behalf of, and govern for, the country as a whole.”
Mr Tomlinson, who was elected MP for Chipping Barnet, north London, in the July general election with a majority of 2,914, told how the area had developed from a stopping point north of London in the 1700s, with 25 pubs at the time, to some 200 years later being connected to the city centre by the Northern line, and housing developments under a “relatively liberal planning system pre-1947”.
He explained further: “Chipping Barnet is home, as I said, to wonderful farms and green spaces, and many of us moved to Barnet because we value a house with a garden, room to raise the kids, and maybe even space to park the car out front, the aspirations of suburban life.”
But he stressed that in many parts of the capital now “the need for change is great”, particularly given the state of public services.
“Gone are the days when a child could grow up in a low-income family and on free school meals, just as I did, but with the security of a social security system that was there for them and genuinely affordable social housing,” he said.
“Representing the suburbs is just as much about standing up for the people who cannot afford to or do not commute into town as it is about representing those who do.”
Highlighting the difficulties faced by many households in outer London, he continued: “People’s aspiration for a better life for their families and communities is still there, but it is not being met.
“I am talking about the deal of suburban life: people who put in so much, spending their time stuck in traffic or on the Northern line, raising their kids to know right from wrong, and serving in their communities and working hard, expect in return that the Government will just get some things right by providing public services that are there when needed and ensuring that the economy is strong and growing.”
Mr Tomlinson, who previously worked in the Treasury and for the Resolution Foundation think tank and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, argued that the “deal” between people in the suburbs and government had fallen apart under the previous administrations.
He added: “I think of young people who cannot afford to move out of their parents’ homes and own or rent in the suburbs.
“I think of many residents who want to buy a new car but are scared that if they do, it will be stolen and the police will not follow up.
“Those everyday aspirations are not being met any more.”
He committed to working in Parliament to “rebuild that deal of suburbia and ensure that those who put in so much get it back again”.
