The candidates standing for election in the Preston constitiency on 4th July were each given 90 seconds to persuade an audience at the University of Central Lancashire why they should vote for them. Six out of the ten people on the ballot took part in the event.
In order of appearance on stage:
DAVID BROOKS (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom)
NEIL DARBY (Liberal Democrats)
TREVOR HART (Conservative Party)
SIR MARK HENDRICK (Labour and Co-Operative Party)
MICHAEL LAVALETTE (Independent)
JOSEPH O’MEACHAIR (Rejoin EU)
Two other candidates - YOUSUF BHAILOK (Independent) and ISABELLA METCALF-RIENER (Green Party) - addressed the room via pre-recorded videos, which were played out ahead of the statements of those present.
The two remaining candidates – JAMES ELLIOT (Reform UK) and DEREK KILLEEN (UKIP) – sent their apologies.
In order of appearance on stage:
DAVID BROOKS (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom)
NEIL DARBY (Liberal Democrats)
TREVOR HART (Conservative Party)
SIR MARK HENDRICK (Labour and Co-Operative Party)
MICHAEL LAVALETTE (Independent)
JOSEPH O’MEACHAIR (Rejoin EU)
Two other candidates - YOUSUF BHAILOK (Independent) and ISABELLA METCALF-RIENER (Green Party) - addressed the room via pre-recorded videos, which were played out ahead of the statements of those present.
The two remaining candidates – JAMES ELLIOT (Reform UK) and DEREK KILLEEN (UKIP) – sent their apologies.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00And in alphabetical order, we have David Brooks,
00:03representing the Alliance for Democracy and Freedom,
00:06Neil Darby from the Liberal Democrats,
00:09Trevor Hart, representing the Conservatives,
00:12and we've got Mark Hendrick for Labour.
00:16We've got Michael Averlet, who is an Independent.
00:19And finally, we've got Joseph Omiaka
00:23from the Rejoined Union Party.
00:26Now, you may or may not know that there are actually
00:2810 candidates standing in the Preston constituency
00:30at the general election.
00:31We did, of course, invite all of them here tonight,
00:34but four of them have had to send their apologies.
00:37They are, in alphabetical order,
00:38Yusuf Bailak, who is standing as an Independent,
00:41Jane Denius from Reform UK,
00:44Derek Killeen from UKIP,
00:46and Isabella Metcalf-Ryder from the Green Party.
00:50Although, by the wonders of technology,
00:52you will be hearing from a couple of them shortly.
00:55And that's because we thought we would start this evening
00:57by giving each of the candidates their chance
00:59to make their pitch to the people of Preston in 60 seconds.
01:04We're going to go in alphabetical order
01:06with the people you can see on the stage here.
01:08But first, as I say, we gave the opportunity
01:11to the people who weren't here tonight
01:13also to send the video if they would like
01:15so that they could at least make their 90-second pitch
01:17so that you would be able to be with us this evening.
01:21Two of them took up that opportunity,
01:23Yusuf Bailak and Isabella Metcalf-Ryder.
01:25So the screen will now return.
01:28You'll be confined to the view of these gents here
01:30just for a few minutes.
01:31But we'll hear from our two other candidates
01:34who weren't here this evening
01:35but who did, nevertheless, want to address you.
01:37But first, Yusuf Bailak, standing as an Independent.
01:48So I felt that it's the opportunity now
01:51came at this late stage of my life
01:54to represent this whole town of mine
01:57and also the community which involves us Muslims
02:00and also the rest of the community.
02:02And it's time that I actually voice,
02:06a true voice for the people of Preston
02:10in all aspects of politics, socially, economically.
02:15So I say to all Prestonians that we belong to this town
02:19and I now feel that it's time for me
02:22to contribute whatever I can to this town.
02:25And indeed, where our children are going to go
02:28for the future, what I hope legacy we want to leave
02:31for our children in education, in their morality,
02:34and also in terms of making sure that everybody
02:37feels a stakeholder in this society.
02:45Hi everyone, I'm Isabella Metcalf-Ryder,
02:47the Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Preston.
02:50Apologies for not being able to be there tonight,
02:52but I'm really glad I'm able to address you in this way.
02:55All the polls are clear.
02:57The Conservatives are set for a historic defeat
02:59and Labour will win a landslide majority.
03:02The concern is that Keir Starmer's Labour government
03:04will not implement the real change
03:06that we so desperately need.
03:08It's clear that we need more than just a few small tweaks
03:10to undo the damage of the last 14 years
03:13of Conservative governments.
03:15Green MPs in Parliament will push Labour
03:17to be better, be braver, be bolder,
03:19be more ambitious on everything from workers' rights
03:22and the NHS, to climate action, support for Gaza,
03:26and eradicating poverty.
03:28I know in particular that many people feel let down
03:32by Keir Starmer's Labour, in particular by Keir Starmer
03:36declaring that Israel had a right to cut off water
03:38and electricity to Gaza, and ordering his MPs
03:42to not vote for a ceasefire in Parliament.
03:46It's particularly disappointing that our MP here in Preston,
03:49Sir Mark Hendrick, followed Keir Starmer's orders
03:52and did not vote for a ceasefire.
03:55The Green Party have been clear in our stance
03:59since the very beginning of this crisis,
04:01calling for an immediate mutual ceasefire,
04:03the unconditional release of all hostages,
04:06and the suspension of arms sales to Israel.
04:09Vote Green on the 4th of July for real hope and real change.
04:13Thank you.
04:19...the people of Preston, and as I say,
04:20they will go in alphabetical order.
04:22So starting down at the far end there,
04:24we have from Alliance for Democracy and Freedom,
04:27David Brooks.
04:27David, your 90 seconds start now.
04:31Good evening, everybody.
04:31Thank you for coming tonight.
04:34I'm an independent candidate from the ADF.
04:37I'm not whipped and I'm not dictated to and told what to do,
04:41what policies to push, what ideologies to push.
04:44Most of these gentlemen here will be told
04:46that there's only two genders.
04:48We're paying an extortionate amount of money for net zero,
04:50and 98.5% of all greenhouse gas is produced by nature
04:55and essential to nature.
04:56We've got a cost of living crisis
04:57where kids are struggling to eat, struggling to heat their homes.
05:02We've got so many other issues,
05:04like we've got additives and sweeteners in the foods
05:06that are causing cancer.
05:07Only the other month,
05:08Diet Coke was in the news for causing cancer.
05:10There's some serious issues,
05:11but we seem to be skirting around the main issues
05:13with anecdotal stuff,
05:16supporting wars in nations, killing kids,
05:21wars of attrition, cutting water off, cutting food off.
05:25It's disgusting.
05:26It's about time somebody stood up who's not whipped,
05:28somebody independent, who's not pushed,
05:30who's not got an ideology,
05:31who just wants to serve the people
05:33and some honest policies and some truths
05:35that need to be told.
05:37David Wellington, thank you very much.
05:40And next we move to Governor Leatherbat and Neil Darby.
05:43We're standing or we're sitting just to win?
05:45Entirely up to you, Neil.
05:46You could be heard, so yes, yeah.
05:48Make yourself more comfortable.
05:49I'll sit if that's all right.
05:50So good evening.
05:51My name's Neil Darby.
05:52I'm the Liberal Democrat candidate
05:54to be your MP here in Preston.
05:57I'm also, as it happens,
05:58one of the youngest candidates that we have that's standing.
06:01And I'm here to stand for the future of Preston,
06:03and I'm here to stand for change.
06:05But I should be clear that being a young candidate
06:07is not the same as being inexperienced.
06:10In my day job,
06:10I work for a local Lancashire family business,
06:13and I'm also the trustee for three local charities.
06:16I've been a councillor here in Preston for 10 years,
06:19and I have the good honour of being the mayor of Preston,
06:21the youngest mayor of Preston in over 170 years,
06:25in 2022, 23.
06:27And in everything I do,
06:28I strive to be visible and to be accessible,
06:31and to reach out across the community,
06:33because that is what I strongly believe
06:34our representatives are here to do.
06:37My top priorities in this election
06:39are to tackle the crisis that we have in our NHS
06:42and in our social care system,
06:43to tackle the crime that we have,
06:46and to tackle the ongoing cost of living.
06:48I'm standing because I strongly believe
06:51that Preston deserves better.
06:53I believe that with my proud history
06:55of representing this city,
06:56and the policies that I stand for,
06:58I'm the right man to take this city forward
07:00into the future as our MP.
07:02Thank you.
07:03Mayor, thank you very much indeed.
07:06I'm Trevor from Conservatives, over to you.
07:08You've got 90 seconds, start now.
07:09Thank you, good evening.
07:11I'm Trevor Hart, and I made Preston my home
07:14when I was about 11.
07:16So I didn't start off in Preston,
07:17but I came and then I went to teach.
07:20So I trained, I started my career in Coventry,
07:23but I came back to my home,
07:25what I considered to be Preston.
07:27From the age of 11, I started here,
07:29and then as I started my career,
07:31head teacher in a local school in Preston.
07:35Education is something that I'm passionate about,
07:38providing the good start for our children,
07:42looking after them, helping them develop,
07:45making sure that we've got good schools in our city,
07:49in the right places, is a passion of mine.
07:52As well as that, the National Health Service,
07:55the hospitals, if we're lucky,
07:58we're gonna get a new hospital built in Preston.
08:00It's really, really critical that that happens.
08:04I've been spending far too much time at the hospitals.
08:08I lost my wife to cancer.
08:10I went through cancer myself recently.
08:12I know what a good service it can provide.
08:16The model we've got in Rosemary is something
08:18that we should be presenting for all of our hospitals.
08:21It's really, really important.
08:23Working with the police,
08:24making sure that our city is crime-free
08:28as far as we're able and better and better.
08:30It's so, so important.
08:32Those are three passions of mine
08:34that I would want to bring forward
08:36to help our city to get better.
08:37Trevor, you've got to be strict with the time.
08:39Right, that's absolutely fine.
08:41That's who I am.
08:42We move on next, please, to Preston's Vice-President,
08:45David Regers, to Mark Hendrick.
08:48Thanks, Paul.
08:49It's a great honour to represent the people of Preston
08:51in Parliament.
08:53I've been selected again to stand as your Labour
08:56and Co-operative Party candidate
08:58for the forthcoming election.
09:00And since I last stood, we now have a changed Labour Party
09:04and ambitious plans as well to rebuild this country.
09:08We want to get economic stability back,
09:11cut NHS waiting times,
09:13launch a new security border command,
09:16set up Great British Energies,
09:18crack down on anti-social behaviour
09:20and recruit 6,500 new teachers.
09:24For the last 14 years as your MP,
09:26I've seen firsthand many of the problems
09:28that people of Preston have faced.
09:31And I've worked tirelessly to try and improve the lives
09:33of thousands of individuals
09:35who have suffered under this Conservative government.
09:38By electing a Labour government, we can achieve real change.
09:42I'm also a strong advocate for issues that matter to you,
09:46international conflicts, animal rights, justice,
09:50civil rights, many others that people reach out to me
09:53every day to help with.
09:56Many of you will be extremely concerned
09:57about the war in Gaza.
09:59I am too.
10:00And whilst I didn't vote for the S&D motion,
10:02I did vote for the Labour Party motion,
10:04which also supported a ceasefire.
10:07The Labour Party totally supports an immediate ceasefire
10:10from both sides, along with recognition
10:13of the state of Palestine and a two-state solution
10:16as a way forward.
10:17Mark, that's your 90 seconds, I'm afraid.
10:19Thank you very much indeed for that.
10:21Move, move, move, move, move, move.
10:25Get out of the way.
10:26Really bad behaviour.
10:28So my name's Michael Lardwick,
10:29I'm standing on behalf of Preston Independence.
10:32Preston Independence was formed as an organisation in March
10:36because we felt that the political parties
10:38in this country simply didn't represent us.
10:40Political establishment talks down to us,
10:43they never listen.
10:44And that, for us, formed through our campaign
10:46around Gaza in the first instance.
10:48Since November, 75% of the population
10:51have been in favour of a ceasefire.
10:5358% of the population are in favour
10:55of stopping arming Israel,
10:57yet there's no politician in the mainstream political parties
11:00who speak out for those things.
11:02And that rolls forward, it rolls forward
11:04to how our NHS is treated,
11:06how our education systems are treated.
11:08Even things like Ashton Park in the south,
11:10or parts of Ashton Park in Preston,
11:12when the local population don't want such things to happen,
11:15the political establishment just don't listen.
11:18Now Mark said he'd been MP for 14 years,
11:20I think he's had for 25,
11:22but that's perhaps symbolic of the fact
11:25that he's not around enough for the people in Preston,
11:28that people don't know where his office is,
11:30that people don't know how to get in contact with him.
11:33I don't think we've got an MP who represents us.
11:36Labour will win the election on the 5th of July,
11:38but what I'm arguing for is somebody who will stand up
11:41for the people of Preston, speak out in Westminster,
11:44isn't whipped, and will put Preston and people first.
11:47CHEERING
11:51And finally, we have Joseph Omiaka from Rejoin EU.
11:55Joseph, your 90 seconds start now.
11:57Thank you very much.
11:59Rejoin EU is a party made up of people
12:02from right across the political spectrum,
12:05both Leavers and Remainers,
12:07who've come to recognise that Brexit has been a disaster
12:11and is the fundamental problem that we face in this country.
12:15The Office for Budget Responsibility and Goldman Sachs
12:19have estimated that the total economic hit to this country
12:23has been over £100 billion,
12:26and 4% to 5%, depending on the estimate,
12:28a decrease in our GDP during that time.
12:32This is far worse than anybody predicted
12:35before the referendum happened.
12:38And you can see this even in Preston itself.
12:41I mean, all of us, if we're honest,
12:43we can see that Preston has been going downhill,
12:46shops are closing, the place is just much less vibrant
12:49than it was before the referendum happened.
12:53Britain's position in the world
12:55has also been diminished as a result of Brexit.
12:58There is no patriotism in waiting
13:01for some fantasy Brexit fairyland
13:04where everything's going to come right,
13:06because it's not going to happen.
13:07All that's happening is that our opportunities,
13:09our children and our grandchildren's opportunities
13:12are being diminished.
13:14Now, Labour will win this election,
13:17but every vote that you cast for re-join EU
13:22sends a clear message to Keir Starmer
13:26that this issue cannot be avoided anymore.
13:30Joseph, I'm going to have to put you up there,
13:31but thank you very much indeed.
13:33That's all I can do to support our opening speeches.