The London suburb of Uxbridge is less than an hour by
tube from the House of Commons in Westminster. Politically, it's almost a
different country.
The
debate over Brexit in the House of Commons reached, even by its
standards, an unprecedented level of vitriol this week. Prime Minister
Boris Johnson dismissed the death of Jo Cox, a lawmaker murdered during
the 2016 referendum campaign, and repeated his mantra of no “surrender”
to the European Union. Then his influential adviser, Dominic Cummings,
enraged the government's opponents by saying the only way to stop the
turmoil is just to get Brexit done.
But for all the fiery talk between politicians in
Westminster, an afternoon in Johnson's own electoral district of
Uxbridge suggests voters are weary of the debate over Brexit and are
more sympathetic than angry with the prime minister. Here, they don’t
see him as the only politician to use inflammatory language: The venom
comes from both sides. Boris is just being Boris.
“If you voted leave, you’re called idiot – thick,” said
Louise, 57, a Brexit supporter. She didn’t want to be identified by her
full name because of potential family repercussions. “He’s responding to
that, fights back with similar language, which sometimes makes him look
like a buffoon,” she said.
The
view from this part of west London matters because it’s where Johnson
will face his primary task in a general election most people think is
months, if not weeks, away. He needs to win in Uxbridge to ensure he keeps his seat in the House of Commons and can remain prime minister should his party prevail at the polls.
Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street on Sept. 26.
Photographer: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
“People
have high expectations and want him to deliver on things very quickly
without giving him any kind of fair opportunity to do so,” said Rob Try,
39, an accountant at a travel company. “You need to give him a chance
and see what he can deliver really. He’s doing the best he can – but
it’s a mammoth task.”
Like Try, Jeannette Lynam is a supporter of Johnson’s
Conservative Party who voted to remain in the EU but now just wants to
respect the vote to leave as long as the prime minister can strike a
deal with Brussels.
“His hands are tied. The MPs are taking away
his power,” said Lynam, 70, a semi-retired dressmaker who was just
finishing off her grocery shopping. “He’s got personality, he charms
people when he wants to. I think he’s very intelligent. He just comes at
a very difficult time for the country.”
Read More: Will Brexit Trigger the Nation’s Next Civil War?
If Johnson calls an election, or if Scottish National Party Leader Nicola Sturgeon succeeds in
forcing one, opinion polls suggest he has a chance of winning –
provided the people of Uxbridge and South Ruislip don’t decide
otherwise. The last election suggests he could be vulnerable to an
upset.
The district is traditionally safe Conservative territory
but, like in so many parts of the U.K., Brexit has threatened to upend
the established political order. While the area voted to leave in the
2016 referendum, at the election a year later Johnson’s majority shrank
by more than half as Labour unexpectedly gained traction.
Robert
Wright, 72, who owns an artist materials and graphics store in the
center of Uxbridge, voted for Johnson in 2017, but isn’t sure if he will
do so again.
He was critical of how Johnson handled his
suspension – or prorogation – of parliament, an act that caused uproar
among lawmakers and was this week judged by the Supreme Court to be
illegal. When it comes to fiery rhetoric, Wright blamed both sides of
the debate, especially for invoking the death of lawmaker Cox.
“MPs
on both sides were shouting,” Wright said. “They were just losing their
rag, all of them,” he added. “I understand the pickle Boris is in, but
some of it is his own making because he promised so much.”
Dominic Cummings arrives at 10 Downing Street on Sept. 26.
Photographer: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
Johnson,
though, has refused to tone down his language, continuing to call
legislation aimed at stopping a no-deal Brexit the “Surrender Act,” with
its echoes of World War II. Cummings doubled down on the strategy this week, saying: “We are enjoying this, we are going to leave, and we are going to win.”
Like nine of the 11 constituents interviewed for this
article, Wright said he still thinks Johnson is doing his best in an
intractable situation. Most offered sympathy to the prime minister in
the same way as they did to his predecessor, Theresa May. She failed to
get her Brexit deal through Parliament and was forced to resign,
ushering in Johnson’s “do or die” approach to leaving the EU on Oct. 31.
“He has been voted by his party to do what people
voted,” said Caroline Valentina, 32, manager at a restaurant in central
Uxbridge. She’s not sure how she will vote yet. “He seems to be stopped
every time he tries to do something and he gets his character
assassinated. I don’t know who he is, but if we had to judge him by his
job, he’s trying to do something.”
On Thursday, the stores and
walks around the center of Uxbridge were thronged with people. In the
afternoon, students from Brunel University and Buckinghamshire New
University added some different nationalities when the classes were
over. Hairdressers and barbers were busy with clients popping up after
the workday and restaurants were setting tables.
“He’s got a very
tough job to do, I do sympathize in a way,” said Michelle Butler, 50,
the manager of a hairdressing salon. What about his language and the way
he angers Parliament? “I probably wouldn’t agree with that, it’s
harsh,” she said. “But that’s Boris, that’s what he does.”
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