Reading East election candidates' mission statements ahead of general election

These statements of around 250 words are your candidates’ opportunity to win your vote on December 12.

If you are still undecided, or open to changing your mind, this is what they feel is most important and what they will fight for on your behalf in parliament.

There are six candidates in Reading East:

Yemi Awolola, Christian People’s Alliance

Mitchell Feierstein, Brexit Party

David McElroy, Green Party

Craig Morley, Conservative Party

Matt Rodda, Labour Party

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey, Liberal Democrats

Here are the candidates in alphabetic order (by surname) with their pitch to you:

Yemi Awolola, Christian People’s Alliance

I am a Christian with a passion for both God and people. I live in Whitley and attend a local church.

I started and run a local football club in Whitley, Reading.

Five reasons you should vote for me:

• Brexit – The democratic will of the British people must be respected. That means we will honour the 2016 Referendum result and leave the European Union completely.
• Supporting Traditional Marriage – Supporting couples when they get married both financially and with training and also again when they have their first child.
• 5 per cent Turnover Tax – We’d end the scandal of big multi-national companies (eg. Facebook, Google, Starbucks) sending their UK profits abroad in order to avoid paying their fair share of tax.
• Over 9 million unborn children in the UK have lost their lives as a result of the 1967 Abortion Act. We would legally protect the right to life of the most helpless and vulnerable in our society, including the unborn.
• We will help people leaving prison, guaranteeing them good accommodation and help to get work and also help to break any addictions.

Mitchell Feierstein, Brexit Party

UK politics is broken – on crime, the economy and on Brexit.

Reading’s violent crime and antisocial behaviour is up 20 per cent in 2014 versus 2018.

Why are many parents worried about county lines related crime? Because it presents a real risk to young people and children.

This is happening at a time when we have reduced police numbers. The answer: increase police numbers.

The Bank of England needs some checks and balances. Scrutiny ought to come from the press and from parliament.

The bank’s policies are recklessly following a political line and destroying our economy.

The media should be a restraint on the bank but the media has gone along for the ride by reporting every negative comment about Brexit. Let me explain.

(1)  In 2016, the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, warned us of an impending Armageddon if we vote Brexit. We voted and Armageddon never happened. The bank should not be scaremongering and influencing the political debate.

(2)  The bank has gone along with bailouts which has created a monstrous housing bubble. It’s a mistake to feel good about the value of our homes rising because bubbles burst and leave people with negative equity and debt.

1,260 days ago, we voted to leave the EU. Has parliament respected the democratic principle? No. MPs believe they know better than you.

I want change for the better. The type of change only the Brexit party can deliver.

Do you want you representative who will actually represent you? That’s me.

David McElroy, Green Party

My name is David McElroy and I am the Green Party candidate for Reading East. Yes to the EU, yes to climate action and yes to a fairer Reading.

I live in Reading with my young family. I am proud to represent the Green Party in this unexpected election and to stand up for my community.

As a Green MP I will be your voice in Westminster – saying yes to Europe and yes to climate action. Westminster Politicians across the political spectrum have failed us all on Brexit. What we need is a People’s Vote on the final deal now.

Government cuts have taken their toll on Reading residents. Two swimming pools closed, nine children’s centres closed, rough sleeping massively up. We have also seen green spaces and trees under threat from destructive schemes like building a road by the Thames. As your MP I would hold both council and government to account on these important issues.

Like so many people, I’m terrified of what we’re doing to our planet. But the Greens have a serious plan. We need a Green New Deal to address climate breakdown, prioritise renewables, end airport expansion and deliver a better quality of life. Our planet needs people in power who recognise that we are living in a climate emergency and are dedicated to taking real action, not just saying the right words.

Please consider voting for me and the Green Party on Thursday December 12.

Craig Morley, Conservative Party

Having been born in Reading and grown up in Woodley, I love this area. I want to be our local champion and make a real difference for people in Reading East.

Spurred on by serving our country for eight years as a diplomat, I returned to the UK last year and got involved in politics for three reasons:

We have an opportunity to build a great global future for our country and I feel I can contribute with my global experience. I want an end to the pessimism and declinism.

To be a champion for local residents in parliament, solve some of the decades-long problems in Reading East and be an effective ambassador for our area.

To fight resurgent extreme socialism under Jeremy Corbyn. I’ve seen first-hand the damage of extreme socialism and communism in China.

If elected, my biggest priority is getting the third Thames bridge built. It has dragged on for decades.

We need to get on and get it built.

Under Boris Johnson, we now have a government that is investing heavily in infrastructure, with a £29billion road investment programme.

This is a fantastic opportunity for us to tap into that and build the bridge as part of a nationally funded infrastructure project.

Matt Rodda, Labour Party

This is a very important election, which could decide the future of the country for many years to come.

Brexit is a difficult issue and I believe the only way to resolve it is to hold a second referendum, I would campaign to remain in that referendum.

I am concerned that the Government’s approach will lead to a no deal Brexit, which is too far even for many people who voted to leave in 2016.

In addition, many local people have suffered from deep cuts to vital local services since 2010 and I believe we need real change for Britain.

I am campaigning for significant extra investment in our NHS, police, schools and other services.

Vote for me for:

• A final say on Brexit: I support a public vote and I would campaign to remain
• Real change for Britain: After years of cuts, we need real change to create a fairer society
• Tackling climate change: I support Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution plan
• Campaign for housing: I want more genuinely affordable housing to buy and rent
• Save Reading Gaol: Reading Gaol should be saved for our community, not luxury flats

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey, Liberal Democrats

I was born in Reading, went to college in Reading and lived just off the Oxford Road for a few years.

Even though I have spent some years travelling and living abroad, Reading is still very much my home. I now work in IT and I am a local councillor.

The Lib Dems as a party are fully committed to remaining in the EU. If we end up with a referendum, we will all be campaigning for remain and will be expecting the British public to be fully briefed on whatever deal is on offer.

We do not believe that there is any deal that is better than remaining within the EU and that leaving will cause irreparable damage to the UK economy and reputation for many years.

I believe that residents of Reading are fed up with blue or red binary confrontational politics and I hope that the Lib Dems can offer something different and a brighter future.

Climate change is the single biggest issue that we are facing in our lifetime and it should not be side-lined. We need to be leading the way on carbon reduction and ensuring that our energy sources are renewable and cheaper for everyone.

Our trains, buses and other forms of public transport must quickly change to using these renewable sources.

Other big issues in Reading include the desperately needed third bridge along with the cost of quality housing for people with ordinary incomes, but we cannot tackle these issues without government help.