MORE readers’ reports about your constituencies as the election campaign goes on. See below for how to submit your own report on the choice of candidates you have, which of them you plan to vote for and why, what you think of their chances and your stance on Brexit.
GRAVESHAM, Kent
Current MP: Adam Holloway (Conservative)
Gill Emerson writes: In the referendum Gravesham voted Leave: 65 per cent/Remain: 34 per cent. Politics here is a two-horse race between Conservative and Labour, the Lib Dems are pretty much an irrelevance: they have never so much as won a council seat. The constituency is a bellwether seat, generally returning Conservative and Labour MPs in line with whoever is in Government.
Last MP was Adam Holloway, who is standing again. He has represented Gravesham since 2005 when he had a 2017 majority of about 10,000 or 55 per cent of the vote; Labour came second, Lib Dems a poor third. This time there are three other candidates: Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Party.
Adam Holloway is a staunch Brexiteer, vocal supporter of Leave Means Leave, and signatory of an ERG letter a few months ago.
As a former Labour voter and Brexiteer angry and shocked by the contempt of much of Westminster towards working-class voters, particularly Labour’s betrayal of the referendum result, I will unhesitatingly vote for Adam Holloway, as I hope will other former Labour supporters. I feel reasonably optimistic that he will retain Gravesham, not least because it was strongly in favour of Brexit, but Labour have recently taken control of the local council, and nothing can be taken for granted.
Thank God the Brexit Party are not standing here as it may well have led to a split vote, a Labour win and a nail in the coffin of Brexit.
WEST WORCESTERSHIRE
Current MP: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative)
B1956 writes: These are our 2019 candidates:
Harriett Baldwin, Conservative – recently joined LinkedIn and listed ‘Government’ as an area of expertise – how we laughed. Apart from being lobby fodder she is a total Oblomov. Backed May and will back Johnson.
Samantha Charles, Labour – a ‘health professional’ who has decided that being lobby fodder for Labour is a better way to spend our money. ‘A Labour government will gender audit all policy and legislation for its impact on women before implementation’ – correction: waste our money.
Beverley Nielsen, Liberal Democrat – actually, the best of a bad bunch. Has actually had a proper job not sucking at the public teat. Were it not for their anti-democratic policies . . . Nah, only joking.
Martin Allen, Green – ex-RN and with a proper job. Shame about the watermelon communism.
Conservatives currently hold the seat. Labour need an 18.9 per cent swing to win. Liberal Democrats need a 26 per cent swing to win.
EU Referendum: Leave 52.5 per cent, Remain 47.5 per cent.
I appear to be disenfranchised.
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