Greens claim Reading MP seat is 'a two horse race'

The Greens have been on the march in Reading since the Local Elections in 2022, when they overtook the Conservatives as the main opposition on Reading Borough Council.

Now, the Green candidate for the new Reading Central parliamentary constituency has claimed the contest will be between Labour and the Greens.

Earlier this year, councillor Dave McElroy was announced as the Green Party candidate for Reading Central, who has blasted Labour over the local election results.

Cllr McElroy (Green, Redlands) said: “The most scandalous bit about this is that one of the new Labour councillors is ex-Conservative mayor David Stevens, who was parachuted into a safe Labour seat (Abbey).

“Apparently he had a sudden change of heart after the local Conservative Party refused to stand him as a candidate in 2022.

“Shocking, though not really, given that we’re seeing this all over the country, Natalie Elphicke being the worst example.”

Natalie Elphicke, the MP for Dover, ‘defected’ to Labour last month.

At the time that he left the Conservative Party, Mr Stevens said that his values ‘closely aligned' with those of Labour councillors.

Cllr McElroy said: “I guess that’s the best way a Tory can keep power in Reading, by changing his spots.

“Either way, in my opinion, the Conservatives’ poor showing in the local election means they have zero chance of winning in Reading Central.”

Polls disagree. According to the YouGov Multilevel Regression and Post-stratification (MRP) poll, Labour is projected to get 58 per cent of the vote in Reading Central, with the Conservatives trailing far behind in second with 20 per cent and the Greens in third with nine per cent.

However, the Greens maintain that they are the main contenders based on their strong showing in the local elections, with the 11 Reading Borough Council wards that make up Reading Central being won by either Labour or the Greens in 2024.

In the local elections, Labour won all contests in Caversham, West Reading, the town centre and Whitley, with the Greens winning in Park, Redlands and Katesgrove wards.

Reading Borough Council Local Election Results 2024 (Reading Central wards only). Credit: Reading Borough Council, edited by Reading Green Party

Cllr McElroy added: “In fact, across the whole of Reading Central the vote share makes it even more interesting, with Labour taking roughly 44 per cent of votes in the local elections and the Greens taking 27 per cent, ahead of the Conservatives on just 21 per cent.”

The presumptive winner of Reading Central is Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading East.

Labour MP candidates Olivia Bailey (Reading West and Mid Berkshire), Yuan Yang (Earley and Woodley), Jo Smith (Maidenhead) and Matt Rodda MP (Reading Central) on a visit to the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Credit: Labour Party

A spokesperson for Matt Rodda said: “This election is a choice between more chaos and decline with the Conservatives, or a vote for change with Labour. Only Labour can deliver the change that Reading needs.”

Mr Rodda faces off against cllr Dave McElroy, Henry Wright, the Liberal Democrat candidate, Andy Williams for Reform UK and Michael Turberville, who is running as an Independent.

The Tory candidate is understood to be cllr Raj Singh (Conservative, Kentwood). However, he has not received official confirmation yet.

Nominations close at 5pm on Friday, June 7.