The candidates standing in Nottingham East have set out why people in Mapperley should vote for them, and what they would like to achieve if elected. 

Chris Leslie won the seat here in 2017 for Labour with a majority of 19,590, but has since left to set up the Independent Group for Change. 

Nottingham as a whole voted to leave by 50.2 percent. 

We’ve asked all six candidates standing why people should vote for them.

Christopher Michael Leslie, The Independent Group for Change

British politics is broken and Brexit is a mess. 

Corbyn’s Labour have been absent during the Brexit crisis while drifting towards the hard left.

Boris Johnson has shifted the Tories towards the right-wing. Most people are fed up with these extremes – and that’s why it’s my duty to seek re-election as the Member of Parliament for Nottingham East.

I have served for over nine years as the local MP, helping thousands of residents with their problems, and standing up in the House of Commons to champion the investment Nottingham needs for our schools, NHS and environment.

In February I left Labour because Jeremy Corbyn has allowed Marxism and antisemitism to poison the Party.

My values haven’t changed – I want progressive centre-left policies and a well-regulated mixed economy. Unlike Corbyn’s candidate, I won’t have to follow Corbyn’s line. Instead I can stand up for all constituents and not just party activists.

Damian Stephen Danial Smith, Brexit Party

I’ve been a Notts lad all my life, and I know what it’s like to live here.

I’m campaigning to leave the EU for the benefit of working families who’s cost of living is more expensive in the EU.

The vote in 2016 was a victory for people in my constituency.

We have the chance now to reject the multinationals and focus on local communities and local business.

I’m standing to cut the cost of living, slash business rates, end Universal Credit, end Tory Austerity, improve working tax credits and promote welfare for those who need it most.

My first pledge is to solve the saddening rise of homelessness across Nottingham.

I also want to ringfence a percentage of GDP for the NHS.

People vote Labour in my constituency and I’ve found on the doorstep people
can’t explain how Labour help them.

Time for people to realise they just want your vote.

Victoria Anne Stapleton, Conservative Party

I am thrilled to have been chosen as the Conservative Candidate for Nottingham East. I was born and brought up in Sheffield and come from a working-class background.

First and foremost, I am a democrat, I voted remain in the EU referendum and I believe it is our duty to implement the will of the British people. 

If elected as your representative, I pledge to back Boris’s deal to leave the EU. This will enable us to move past the stifling indecision which is paralysing our politics and focus on to the issues that really matter to local people.

As well as our commitment to provide more police and investment in our NHS, I believe that my party’s pledge to ‘level up’ our regions will bring real benefits to Nottingham East. 

This will create a platform for economic growth outside London by Government investing effectively in education, technology and infrastructure.

Robert Andrew Swift, Liberal Democrats – To stop Brexit

I  was born and grew up in Nottingham and graduated from Keele University in 1996 with a BA Hons in Politics and a Master of Business Administration. 

I then worked for 17 years in the telecommunications industry – in Nottingham, London and Abu Dhabi – before returning to Nottingham in 2013 to set up a small business in the area.

I’m determined to represent the residents of Nottingham East with honesty and integrity. 

For too long Nottingham Labour have taken you for granted and treated politics as a cosy career. 

In Nottingham we don’t need Johnson’s Brexit or Corbyn’s socialist ideal, we need good jobs, safer streets and secure, affordable homes. 

If elected, I will stand up for Nottingham East and, with other Liberal Democrats I will stop Brexit and take immediate action on the climate emergency.”

Michelle Kim Vacciana, Green Party 

I am not a politician – but a member of the public who has stepped forwards during this critical time to represent the communities of Nottingham East where I have been a resident for more than 15 years.

I am a member of the Green Party as they comprehensively represent my personal values; greater social equality, ethical and sustainable living and prioritising our environment. 

I work in local secondary education; mentoring and offering learning support to pupils.

I am keen to advocate for our schools having the resources to adopt green values in how their buildings function. 

I would like to see teaching liberated from the current curriculum model that puts unnecessary strain on staff and students.

I would like to see the re-opening or creation of communal spaces such as youth centres where people have enriching, safe and supervised places to go outside of the school day.

Being able to implement Green values to create safer, healthier and more connected communities is something I strive to be proactive in.

Nadia Edith Whittome, Labour Party

I’m a Nottingham born-and-bred hate crime worker. I’m standing to be Nottingham East’s Labour MP because, for too long, we have been ignored by Westminster. 

I understand the daily injustices that our communities face, because this is my home: from rising rents, to school cuts, to our hospitals at breaking point. 

In my work, I’ve seen first-hand that our communities need to be healed and empowered by a better project. 

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to choose real change. We’re a people-powered movement with a fully-costed, credible plan to resurrect our economy, improve people’s lives, and save our planet.

If I have the privilege of being elected as your MP, I will be accessible and accountable to you. I will remain living in Nottingham city, hold frequent surgeries, and will only take an average UK full-time wage of £35,000 per year – donating the rest to local causes.