Conservative
Other candidates in the constituency
By Michael Daventry
It was a little hypnotic, the way so many heads turned to face us as we stepped into the busy café on the corner of Hertford Road. As we sit down for a cup of tea, my companion Nick de Bois politely nods and smiles at them all.
The instant recognition of the Conservative MP for Enfield North may have something to do with his decision to move his office into the building vacated by Labour’s Joan Ryan, who he defeated at the 2010 general election. He now works only a few doors down from this café.
“[Joan Ryan] obviously didn’t need it any more and it’s where the bulk of my casework would be coming from,” Nick de Bois explained when I asked why he chose to have an office in the traditionally Labour east of the borough.
The café’s owner, Sinan, is certainly pleased: “I like him. He takes an interest in the café and helped me apply for a business rates discount a few months ago. I’ll vote for him, and so will my family.”
COMPETITIVE SEAT
But beyond him, the extent of Mr de Bois’s appeal has not yet been tested. Enfield North is a sharply divided constituency, with its tightly packed terraced housing lining narrow streets in the east against golf courses and perhaps London’s only farmland in the west
This reflected in voting patterns: the east solidly votes Labour, while the west is firmly Conservative.
In recent times the result has always been close: a gap of just a couple of thousand votes – small for British elections – separated the two parties in every election since 2001.
What makes the 2015 election all the more enticing is that it will be the fourth contest between Mr de Bois and Ms Ryan.
CONTRAST THE TWO MPS
The Conservative said he was trying to maintain his chances by keeping himself visible, but admitted it will be a tough fight: “There’s no denying the way the polls lie. There’s an awful lot to play for in the next three months.
“People will focus on the fact we’ve got two people with records as an MP that can be contrasted.
“The MPs’ expenses scandal caused a huge lack of trust in politicians. I’ve tried to be visible and approachable to rebuild that trust.”
Enfield North is a constituency that stretches over a vast area from Enfield Lock in the east to Chase in the west
He certainly has been energetic, holding more than sixty public meetings to debate issues from immigration to the local rail service, and has taken a camper van around different areas to meet constituents closer to their homes.
KNIFE CRIME SUCCESS
He was also successful in his campaign to change the law on knife crime. As a result of his lobbying, any adult convicted in England and Wales of a second offence involving a knife must now be given a jail term.
He is “extremely proud” of the law and was partly inspired by the case of Godwin Lawson, who was fatally stabbed in 2010. His mother Yvonne has gone on to set up a foundation to campaign on knife crime issues, showing “you don’t have to be a politician to get something done”, he said.
But he failed to prevent the emergency department at the local Chase Farm Hospital from closing down, despite a local cross-party outcry. The decision – which saw resources shifted over to nearby Barnet and North Middlesex hospitals – had been proposed years ago, but Mr de Bois and David Cameron had promised to reverse it.
CHASE FARM FAILURE
When he visited the hospital in 2007, Mr Cameron had said: “What I would say to Gordon Brown is if you call an election on 1 November we’ll stop the closure of services at this hospital on 2 November.”
Once in government, however, the Conservatives in government approved plans to downgrade the hospital.
Mr de Bois minced no words over that decision: “I was furious. I told him [the Prime Minister] he has utterly let down my constituents and myself.
“It was the wrong decision. It still is the wrong decision. I will never give up the campaign to get it reopened.”
But a reopening won’t happen any time soon, not least because plans are underway to build new houses and a school on the site.
NET MIGRATION TARGET ‘STUPID’
Nick de Bois’ comments on the government’s net migration target were equally blunt. The Conservative Party’s promise to reduce to tens of thousands of people the difference between the numbers of migrants leaving and entering Britain is a “bloody stupid policy, but we live in an age where we have to convey news in one headline”.
Enfield North MP Nick de Bois with cafe owner Sinan
Migration is an issue that demonstrates the cocktail of views that Nick de Bois has had to adopt to appeal to as many constituents as possible. During our chat he praised the “very far-sighted” Ankara Agreement treaty, which allows Turkish citizens to set up businesses in EU countries, but was firm on the European Union itself: “Freedom of movement in the European Union should not go with freedom to claim benefits. On current terms, I would vote to leave the EU: I am a Eurosceptic.”
WILL TURKISH SPEAKERS SUPPORT HIM?
It remains to be seen if his multifaceted approach will persuade traditionally Labour-leaning Turkish speakers to vote for him. Our café’s Turkish owner Sinan is one convert, but he is not sure others will be: “Other people in our community, all they care about is taking things. They want money in their hand and a house for their families. But who’s going to be pay for all of it? It’s easy to take but no-one think about who gives it all.”
“He does a good job. I will vote for him. But our community won’t.”