David McElroy is the Green Party candidate for Reading East.

He was born in the Australian outback and has a PhD in how human activity affects natural systems.

Mr McElroy now lives in Reading with his wife and nine-month-old son who was born in the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Below is the Q&A with David to find out why he is standing for your vote in Reading East.

Why should people vote for you?

Climate change is here now. Yorkshire was recently under water, while Australia has been on fire and snowing at the same time.

As sea levels rise the historic landfills on the south coast are slowly being revealed like some sort of ghastly advent calendar.

Declaring a climate emergency is not enough, we need urgent, ambitious action yesterday.

We can either be part of the problem or part of the solution and I’ll sleep so much better at night if I’m part of the solution.

Which of your party’s policies will have the biggest impact on people in Reading East?

Tax reform.  Did you know that someone who earns their income from assets and investments pays less tax than someone who actually gets up in the morning to go to work?

That seems wrong.  The Greens will simplify the system, close loopholes and make sure everyone pays their fair share, so we can invest in the things that make people happy: libraries, pools and so on.

What local campaigns would you focus on as MP?

Let's celebrate that gaol and turn it in to somewhere that search engines identify as a top thing to do in the UK.

What a great piece of history to have right here, that everyone can rally around. Let's make it happen and not just let it turn in to more luxury flats.

What do you think Matt Rodda has done well and what not so well?

Matt Rodda is an excellent MP and I wish him well.  The green new deal we share with them is sorely needed, though the Labour version doesn't go far enough soon enough.

What are you hearing from residents about what they want?

They are sick of fighting with each other.  Brexit has torn families apart and "Get Brexit Done" is comically naive.

It's already ruined three Christmases. If the Conservatives get in it will be ruining many more to come, especially if we crash out.

We need to get back to having proper Christmas fights, where we arbitrarily pick sides between the little sister and the drunk uncle on what the Queen said in her speech.

Why no election pact? Did you consider not standing to prevent risk of Craig Morley – who is pro-Brexit – getting in?

We debated long and hard with members on this and decided that having a green voice was too important.

We also support and respect the right and ability of greens voters to make up their own mind on whether they want to vote green or otherwise.

As an aside, first past the post and the house of lords on the whole, let alone hereditary peers, are plainly undemocratic.

That we even have to think about tactical voting, rather than the policies on offer, is an indictment on the status quo.

Reading East is a hot area for Green support locally and I want to build on that to make Reading East the new Brighton Pavilion.

How would you support individuals in Reading as a candidate?

I am out every weekend knocking on doors asking people how we can help, especially with the small things.  I will continue to do that.