Dan Tomlinson, Chipping Barnet Labour candidate, brings hope for all UK Cypriots

Barnet is one of the “Cypriot” areas of London and we are lucky to have  a young man such as Dan Tomlinson, as the Labour candidate for Chipping Barnet. Those were our thoughts after reading the wonderful statement he gave to Parikiaki regarding UK Cypriots and Cyprus and more particularly what we call the Cyprus problem.

Our impression from what we read and hear is that Mr Tomlinson, who is an  economist, is a very cultivated, intelligent, approachable and interesting man. If successful, he will be the best Barnet MP for a very long time.

Barnet really and truly needs a change after a very long era of Conservative MPs. This is a marginal seat and the votes of Barnet Cypriots could make the difference. The UK Cypriot community can play a significant role in this election.

The main points

The main points of Dan Tomlinson’s statement are as follows:

• He appreciates that many people want Britain “to be more active in bringing about peace, reconciliation and reunification” in Cyprus.
• Therefore, “a difficult reckoning with the past – including Britain’s historic role” in Cyprus – is “he only way forward”.
• His aim is always “to unite and not to divide”. “Labour wants a Cyprus that fairly represents its communities and that allows all Cypriots to live together in justice, peace, and security”.
• It is important for British politicians to support efforts to preserve Cypriot communities’ heritage and to bring Cypriots together.
• UK backing for the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus CMP could be improved. He criticised Conservative politicians who despite their “loud statements” about Cyprus failed to deliver on that issue. 
• The British presence in Cyprus confers “a particular responsibility to do far better in actively engaging to find a solution, rather than watching from the sidelines as the current UK Government has done”.
• A Labour government is likely to work together with the EU “to protect the sovereign rights of Cyprus and prevent violations of the rules-based order that governs our seas”.

Mr Tomlinson’s full text

“In Chipping Barnet, where I’m Labour’s candidate to be the next Member of Parliament, many people have expressed to me their desire for Britain to be more active in bringing about peace, reconciliation and reunification. This process requires a difficult reckoning with the past – including Britain’s historic role in the island – but it is the only way forward”.

“My aim will always be to unite and not to divide. We are the party that put an end to decades of conflict in Northern Ireland through the Good Friday Agreement. I’m proud also of our role in helping Cyprus to become a European Union member. Labour wants a Cyprus that fairly represents its communities and that allows all Cypriots to live together in justice, peace, and security”.

“In this same spirit, it is important for British politicians to support efforts to preserve Cypriot communities’ heritage and to bring Cypriots together. I applaud the work of the United Nations Development Programme that preserves religious buildings of all communities across the island. People have told me how important it is to see places of worship restored after years of neglect and sometimes vandalism”.  

“Similarly, it is vital to support the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP). There were 2,002 persons missing in Cyprus from the fighting in the 1960s and 1970s, with 955 still officially missing. For all the loud statements from Conservative politicians about Cyprus, UK backing for the CMP could improve. The CMP deserves support to carry out its vital work – ending the years of torment for families who had no grave to visit and suffered grief mixed with uncertainty”.

“The UK’s continued presence in Cyprus at our Sovereign Base Areas in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, along with our leading role in the United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNIFCYP) confer a particular responsibility to do far better in actively engaging to find a solution, rather than watching from the sidelines as the current UK Government has done. While the 2022 enactment of the agreement with the Republic of Cyprus on the UK’s Sovereign Base Areas was very much welcome, this came in the wake of years of indecision, at a cost to the people who live there”.  

“I also believe that peace must be accompanied by prosperity, which is why Labour has called on the UK government to work with the EU to protect the sovereign rights of Cyprus and prevent violations of the rules-based order that governs our seas”.

“Cyprus has suffered for long enough under the weight of its history, and the consequences of those terrible weeks in 1974. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary, I will be steadfast in my support for all efforts to bring about healing, peace, and a better future”.

[Dan Tomlinson’s statement was sourced from the website of Parikiaki. Parikiaki is the only remaining weekly newspaper of the UK Cypriot community. It publishes both a website and a printed edition.]