Candidates in Newbury give final messages to voters

The constituency covers most of West Berkshire, including Thatcham and Hungerford.

Whoever wins the most votes will become the MP and represent those living in the district in parliament.

The messages are below, listed alphabetically.

Lee Dillon, Liberal Democrat

Your vote is a powerful thing, and in this election you can use it to change everything. It is your first chance to vote on how Boris Johnson is doing as prime minister, and possibly your last chance to say you want to remain in the EU.

My team and I have knocked on over 10,000 doors across Newbury constituency since the start of the campaign, and the message on the doorsteps is a positive one, but also one of concern — concern about how Boris Johnson is running our country, concern about leaving the EU without a final say, and concern about the climate emergency. 

Your vote gives you the chance to address these concerns.

Newbury voted to remain in the EU, and all the tactical voting websites agree that the only vote in Newbury that can deliver a final say is a vote for the Liberal Democrats. Crucially, a vote for the Liberal Democrats in Newbury is also your only way to stop Mr Johnson’s parliamentary majority, 

This constituency is where I’ve lived all my life, gained significant political experience and where my family and I use the same public services as you. I haven’t just been ‘parachuted in’. This is where I’ve been elected since 2007, and the only place I’ve ever wanted to represent, because this community is special to me.

Vote for me, Lee Dillon, to ensure that Newbury has a local, experienced and committed Member of Parliament who will fight for you to have a final say on Brexit.

Laura Farris, Conservative

I have enjoyed meeting many of you during this campaign. I have heard the spectrum of views on Brexit and it would be fair to say that opinion is divided. But the overriding sentiment I have heard is a desire to move on. 

That is why if I am elected I will support the prime minister’s deal.

I did not come into politics to engage in trench warfare.  I want to get back to working on the things that matter to you, because they matter to me.  I am a working mum of two young children and share your priorities: on the quality of our schools, the jobs and homes we provide for our young people, the future environment we bequeath to our children and the care we provide to our senior citizens. On all this, I believe that the Conservative party has the best offering for Newbury – policies that stimulate jobs and growth, and enhance our public services.

I have spent the last 12 years as a barrister. I have acted for young women in towns like Rotherham who have been the victims of grooming gangs, for the Home Office in complex cases about the activity of terror suspects and for the Equality & Human Rights Commission on disability rights. Tackling injustice lies at the heart of what brought me into politics.

I grew up in West Berkshire and treasure its community for making me what I am.  If I am elected, I will never stop listening to you.

Ben Holden-Crowther, independent

My name is Ben Holden-Crowther and I am Newbury’s independent candidate in the general election.

I previously managed an international book publishing business but am currently working for a Norwegian technology firm. I have a four-month-old daughter and want to ensure that her interests and those of all young people in the area are protected and furthered.

There are two main areas which drove me to stand in this general election. The first is the failure of constituency MPs to honestly represent their constituents in parliament. I feel that political parties are an enormous obstacle to positive and constructive change in this country and this is why I have made a political statement by standing as an independent candidate.

The second issue which concerns me is the environment. I feel we have a duty to protect the natural world which is suffering tremendously as a result of our actions. I do not want an end to productivity, and I feel capitalism has been overall a positive force for increasing people’s quality of life around the world. On the other hand, I do believe that there are things governments can do now to avoid tremendous human suffering in the future resulting from their negligence in relation to greenhouse gas emissions.

I hope to attract the support in this election of both young people who would like an advocate in parliament and also of those people who are tired of adversarial party politics, particularly when it results in crises such as the Brexit deadlock we are currently facing.

Steve Masters, Green

Newbury deserves an MP who takes the climate crisis seriously. It is time to focus our efforts on an immediate response, on a wartime scale, to this emergency. The future of our children and grandchildren depends on it.

My track record speaks for itself. West Berkshire’s zero carbon target was 80 per cent by 2050 – the experts say that’s too little, too late. The Green party successfully campaigned to change that target to 2030. Now we are working to achieve it.

I believe that through a compassionate and inclusive style, Greens can bring people together. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats occupy extreme positions on Brexit – between a deeply damaging hard Brexit, and revoking Article 50 without listening to the people who voted leave.

It is crucial that we heal the divisions in our community. We need a people’s vote to give everyone a chance to give their verdict on the Brexit deal we are being offered.

Newbury is my home. My children grew up here. This election is a chance to make a difference and elect an MP who has experienced what many people deal with in their everyday lives. After serving my country for 20 years, things were difficult. I have been homeless. I have used food banks. Homelessness and hunger shame our country.

For a compassionate and caring future; for an MP who takes climate change seriously; for an MP who will represent everyone, regardless of how they voted in the referendum – vote Green on December 12.

James Wilder, Labour

In just four weeks, this campaign has energised people from all walks of life. From launching the campaign in the Salvation Army Hall, receiving an endorsement from Keir Starmer, knocking on doors, canvassing on Northbrook Street, visiting Andrew Balding’s yard and campaigning with my two-year-old nephew. This has been a community driven campaign that puts the people of Newbury first. When you go to the voting booth, remember that the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives are not the solution, they are the problem. 

The wings of this generation have been clipped by 10 years of austerity that has damaged West Berkshire. When I was a student at Kennet School, we collected items for disadvantaged children around the globe at Christmas time. Now as a teacher at Park House School, we are collecting funds for the soup kitchen and food bank in Newbury. We walk down Northbrook Street and see homeless people. Primary schools are closing early in the week. People are starting their careers with crippling debt, unable to get on the housing ladder. 

This is why I ask for your vote. I will be a member of parliament for Newbury — first and always. 

Come with me to build a properly funded National Health Service to reduce waiting times, improve mental health services and give free social care for those who need it. Come with me to recruit more nurses and invest in a generation of MPs. This is our last chance to save the NHS. Come with me to build a National Education Service that ensures smaller class sizes, better resources and more teaching assistants. Come with me to tackle climate change with an ambitious green new deal that will invest into renewable energy and revolutionise jobs and industry. 

I am asking the people of Newbury to reject the outdated slogans of a present that is already dying, and to pursue the excitement and danger that comes with even the most peaceful of progress. This is the most ambitious programme for social change of a generation. If you want to transform this community, go Wilder for Newbury.