After securing 60pc of the vote, and a majority of more than 17,000, Julia Lopez was elected as Hornchurch and Upminster’s new MP at the 2017 General Election. Since then, Ms Lopez has been busy with balancing her time between Westminster, and her constituency office in the borough.
Ms Lopez told the Recorder: “When I first joined Parliament as a new MP there was a lot to take on board. You have to have faith in what you’re doing and remember why you went into politics in the first place.
“Our message is for people to use us as a resource, talk to us and let us see how we can help in a range of different ways.”
The Hornchurch and Upminster MP was inspired to stand for election after working as a councillor in Tower Hamlets where she experienced corruption and electoral fraud in the borough.“Tower Hamlets is the reason I got involved in elected politics. At the time I was getting involved, there were concerns about whether the mayor was corrupt and this was my motivating factor. It was a sort of light bulb moment.
“Later on I became involved with scrutiny and children’s services. We looked a lot at how a lot of money was being wasted with services for the youth.
“We tried to understand what was going wrong and to look at the future instead of just focusing on what had been going on before. It can be a difficult balance to strike.”
Now as an MP, Ms Lopez wants to drive connections between her constituency and Westminster. She said: “It’s important to understand that all the introductions between different MPs (in Parliament) has an impact with how you get things done.
“When someone from Havering asks for help with a particular issue that is affecting them, then you can quickly connect them with the right people in Parliament.”
Since September last year, Ms Lopez has also enjoyed being part of the International Trade Select Committee, where they have been looking at the future of the UK after Brexit. “We’ve been looking at how likely is a UK - US trade deal is, and trade between the Commonwealth, particularly Australia and New Zealand.“I want Brexit to be a positive change, an optimistic vision of where we can take the country. There are already some existing opportunities available, before we have a deal,” she added.
As MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, Ms Lopez described the borough’s unique selling points.
“I think there is untapped potential in Havering, it’s a place with fantastic open spaces, and a good quality of life. It’s not an area that is well known, which is one of the bonuses. “It’s got nice spacious family homes, and you also have access to job opportunities in London. You’ve got the best of both worlds living in Havering, and I think that is its unique selling point.”