Labour candidate Bambos Charalambous upbeat on chances of winning in next week’s election
Voters in Enfield Southgate are distancing themselves from the Conservative Party, the area’s Labour candidate Bambos Charalambous said in an interview this week.
Mr Charalambous – who also serves as an Enfield councillor – said he was encountering “real anger” while campaigning on the doorstep as a result of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and that many voters were seeking a change.
“People are worrying about what’s happening to their families, they’ve got family members who are EU nationals who are concern or frightened, and feel threatened, a real fear about what the future holds,” he said.
The Labour candidate said there was particular anger at his election rival David Burrowes, the Conservative who has been Enfield Southgate MP since 2005 and is standing again in this election.
“If you look at his voting record, he’s voted for things that don’t benefit the people of Enfield Southgate,” Mr Charalambous said.
“Like the cuts in education, he voted against gay marriage, the increase in tuition of fees – a whole raft of Tory measures that affected other people.
“So whilst he might be nice at school fetes, [it] doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t implementing the measures that are having an impact on peoples’ lives.”
Mr Charalambous is standing against Mr Burrowes for the third time but said “I definitely think we’re going to do it this time.”
He continued: “I think there’s a lot of anger about the Brexit vote – Burrowes voted for Brexit, I’m a strong Remainer and Enfield Southgate is a Remain constituency. It voted overwhelmingly to Remain in every single ward, so that might help.”
He would not have triggered Article 50 if he had been Enfield Southgate MP in March, he added.
He said there needs to be either a vote in parliament or a vote to the public once a Brexit deal is struck, adding that he would oppose any Brexit deal that he believes does not benefit local people.