The candidates for Gedling have set out why people should vote for them, and what they would like to achieve if elected.
Labour’s Vernon Coaker has held the seat here since 1997 but it’s been a perennial target of the Conservatives, with an average Labour majority over the Conservatives of just 3,791 across the last six elections.
We’ve asked all the Gedling candidates standing why people should vote for them in this general election.
Vernon Coaker, Labour
I am seeking your support in this General Election.
It has been a privilege to be Gedling’s MP, being a strong voice for local communities, working to improve Gedling and helping thousands of people.
Cruel Tory cuts have affected all our services including schools and the NHS and have inflicted unnecessary hardship on so many people.
I will always stand up for young people in education and jobs, elderly people (protecting the bus pass, TV licences and pensions), for families and the vulnerable.
The Tories have made a mess of Brexit, backing a deal that was bad for our country. There should now be a second ‘people’s vote’ with remain as an option.
We are at a crossroads and I choose the path of fairness and social justice and want to see a country proud of its history with a positive future outlook.
The fact is, the Tories can no longer be trusted. I am the true local choice for Gedling, your local champion.
Graham Hunt, Brexit Party
Gedling voted by 55.6 percent to ‘Leave’ in the 2016 Referendum, and after three and a half years we still haven’t left.
I aim to deliver a ‘clean’ Brexit, allowing the UK to become an independent sovereign nation, ‘free’ to make deals with the world, in charge of its fishing waters, security, saving £39 billion and investing our money as we see fit.
I would also campaign to: scrap HS2 and divert the money to infrastructure projects in the Midlands; cut student loan interest; promote small business opportunities in the Gedling area e.g. zero business rates for high-street retailers, offset by a small internet sales tax.
I would also: Ensure adequate supplies of housing to meet local demand; restore local youth services; I will fight to restore trust in our democracy which has been betrayed.
Finally, I am not a career politician but a local ‘average Joe’ who would be immensely proud to serve the people of Gedling and would give you my all.
Jim Norris, Green Party
I have lived in Arnold for 24 years.
Most of my working life was spent in human resources, mainly in the nuclear industry and the NHS.
I am standing in this election on three main grounds:
- Providing environmentalist voters in Gedling with a credible environmentalist candidate. All of us are facing an immediate and direct crisis. Though I appreciate the increasing interest of other parties, I believe that only the Green Party has a comprehensive set of policies and strategies for dealing with every aspect of it.
- Providing Gedling voters with a candidate who is totally committed to overthrowing the austerity culture. A society in which children go to school hungry, in which anyone is homeless and in which anyone is dependent on food banks, is an anathema to me.
- Providing Remain-supporting voters in Gedling with a committed pro-Europe candidate.
As a confession, I am a lifelong supporter of Watford football club but I am also a frequent attender and sympathiser at Notts County.
Anita Prabhakar, Liberal Democrats
I’m a qualified Solicitor working with a law firm in Nottingham. I have two Masters Degrees, one in constitutional law, and the other in corporate law.
Since moving to the East Midlands I have worked at Boots, as a trainee at Nottinghamshire police headquarters, in various management positions including consumer relations with Vodafone and at an immigration consultancy.
I have been active in politics for many years, having joined the Liberal Democrats in 2012.
I am a keen pro-European and will fight hard to stop Brexit, because I believe it will be bad for the economy, the presence of our country on the world stage and will deny us strong opportunities to tackle climate change along with our European partners.
Tom Randall, Conservative
Gedling made me who I am. I now want to use my skills to build a brighter future for everyone in our community.
I grew up in Arnold, went to Redhill School, then read law at Oxford.
I’ve worked as a solicitor, dealing with commercial clients; worked on an Olympic Games; and, currently, in a professional membership organisation often work with NHS doctors. This mix of public and private sector experience has given me an insight into a wide cross-section of British life and will enable me to be an effective MP from day one.
Like me, Gedling voted to leave the EU. I share the frustration that we haven’t yet left.
I am determined to get Brexit done so that we can get on with the priorities that matter to people, like protecting our green spaces, making sure that Nottinghamshire gets its share of an extra 20,000 police officers and investing in our schools and hospitals.
