‘Who do you petition - haddock?’ Tory MP mocked for launching bizarre fish and chip shop campaign

A Conservative MP has launched a bizarre campaign to open a fish and chip shop in Uxbridge town centre, despite previously voting against one.

Steve Tuckwell, the MP for Uxbridge & South Ruislip and Hillingdon Councillor for South Ruislip posted a campaign video on social media urging constituents to "bring one home" to the town centre.

A chippy in the centre of Boris Johnson’s former constituency would “support our high street, it will support business and it will help the local economy”, Mr Tuckwell said.

“We have a fish and chip shop in Cowley and one near St Andrew’s Park, but we don’t in Uxbridge Town Centre. That’s why I’m launching a campaign to get us a fish and chip shop in Uxbridge Town Centre, but I need your support to do it.”

But the campaign clip, which has now been viewed more than six million times on X/Twitter, has been met with bemusement.

Food critic Jay Rayner said the post “looks proper weird”.

“How can you campaign for a new fish & chip shop?” he asked. “Who do you petition? The haddock? Until you click on the link and realise it’s just a data scraping exercise on behalf of the Conservative Party.”

Another X used questioned whether Mr Tuckwell should be addressing other issues: “Populism taken to a new low in Uxbridge. What’s your local hospital like? Schools riddled with RAAC? Public transport issues? Nah, we need a chippie.”

One Uxbridge resident added: 'Are you kidding? The library is being closed, the hospitals are falling apart, Uxbridge police station is still closed, and you think that your time is best spent trying to get a chippy a bit nearer to your house?'

It also also emerged that Mr Tuckwell voted down a proposal for a fish and chip shop in the town in 2019.

Former Hillingdon Labour councillor Kerri Prince said: “Steve was in attendance at the Hillingdon Council planning meeting in which they heard an application for a fish and chip shop in Uxbridge town centre. He voted against it.”

The minutes from the council meeting show the application was refused partly due to “concerns regarding the potential for noise and smell”.

Mr Tuckwell’s vote is not specifically mentioned in the minutes but it states the application rejection was passed unanimously.

The Conservative MP posted a link to a petition page where people can show support for the fish and chip shop by signing up with their name, email address and postcode.

On the petition page a statement reads: "I agree to Steve Tuckwell using the contact information I provide to keep me updated via email and telephone on this and other issues until further notice."

Mr Tuckwell won the seat in a July 2023 by-election, held after the resignation of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with a majority of just 495 votes.

The MP has been approached for comment.