General Election: Whitehaven and Workington candidates' final pitches

As campaigning draws to a close, candidates standing for Whitehaven and Workington were asked to make their final pitches to voters.

Voting opens at 7am on Thursday, July 4, with polling stations closing at 10pm.

Josh MacAlister (Labour)

Josh MacAlister (Labour) (Image: Submitted)

Over the last 12 months my team and I have spoken to over 15,000 people across West Cumbria and everywhere I go I hear the same refrain: it is time for change.

After 14 years of Tory government, people are fed up with nothing working and feeling worse off than they did just a few years ago. Fed up of broken promises and politicians who only seem to be in it for what they can get out of it.

On Thursday, people have the chance to vote for change.

Change with me as your Labour MP with a plan for West Cumbria - action to bring down bills, protecting and improving local NHS services, backing new nuclear and industry to create good, long-term jobs, putting more police on our streets, revitalising our town centres and standing up for our rural communities and way of life. And change with a Labour government with a plan to rebuild Britain after years of decline, chaos and corruption.

It's time to put government back in the service of working people here in West Cumbria and across Britain. I hope I’ll earn your vote and together we can deliver the brighter future we need.

Andrew Johnson (Conservative)

Andrew Johnson (Conservative) (Image: Submitted)

I'm immensely proud to have been born and brought up in West Cumbria and to have the chance to represent this area at Westminster. This is a great part of the country, and we should rightly be proud of our industrial past and the role we have played in making the UK a world leader in areas such as civil nuclear.

Looking to the future West Cumbria can be even greater. The mine and new nuclear offers us a once in a generation chance to create thousands of new well-paid jobs. This is why we need to defend the 500+ new jobs at the mine which are at risk under Labour, back new nuclear at Moorside and protect existing jobs at Sellafield. As well as fight hard for continued investment into our local NHS and schools, plus projects like the coastal railway upgrade and improvements to our road network.

We need a positive plan for West Cumbria based around new jobs and opportunity, but also one that respects our local traditions and heritage, including supporting our farmers and rural way of life. In this election I’m the only one offering such a plan. On July 4, let’s make West Cumbria even better.

Chris Wills (Liberal Democrat)

Chris Wills (Liberal Democrat) (Image: Submitted)

Looking around the UK I see such an imbalance of health, happiness and prosperity. We have allowed our country to be divided by bidding wars for critical funding and support.

Liberal Democrats believe in devolved Government, with local people having much more influence on local decisions. I would couple that with creating a form of region out of the old area of Cumbria. Not as part of another bid for money and status, rather as part of a rebalancing across the whole country, bringing the best of local talent and resources into high energy production areas. This would be inspirational for local people and every area would be encouraged to thrive and contribute to GDP.

People don’t think in terms of constituencies in their everyday lives, businesses don’t operate that way. Constituencies are constructs for representation. Similarly the unitary authorities. We should be thinking in regional terms but let our true and traditional identities equally come to the fore.

In industries ranging from farming to nuclear, we have the talent and resources to build a regional economy. A prosperous economy will generate the services and infrastructure so needed, such as lots of truly affordable homes, and much better transport links.

Jill Perry (Green Party)

Jill Perry (Green Party) (Image: Submitted)

So much of society is broken that it is going to take huge amounts of bravery to fix it. The other parties are not offering bold solutions or serious financial proposals to do what is needed. The Green Party will raise taxes for the rich and super-rich, and  level up the national insurance rate for those earning more than £50,000. Currently they pay 2 per cent and the rest of us pay 8 per cent. The money raised would help to fix public services.

My emails show me that health issues are a major concern locally. We know the NHS is a big national issue. The Green Party is the only Party to have signed the “We Own It” pledge to stop and reverse creeping privatisation and pay workers what they need, and I'm the only candidate for the constituency to have signed it.

We are approaching climate breakdown. We need to move quickly from current forms of energy:  but we need it to be a fair transition. We must train our young people, and retrain those whose jobs will disappear, so that they are ready to take on the opportunities from new or expanding industries.

I'm standing to be your Green MP because I believe in a fairer, more equal society living within the limits of what the earth can provide.

David Surtees (Reform UK)

David Surtees (Reform UK) (Image: Submitted)

Unfortunately due to my recent cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatment I have been unable to campaign.

I am not a politician and never had any intention of being so.

I’m certainly not an ambitious young career politician that has been parachuted into the area!

What I am is part of this community and proud to be part of it, I was born here and have lived here my whole life. It is my home. I don’t just have a posh office here and live elsewhere.

I know all too well what our constituency and country needs:

•            Smart migration not mass migration

•            No more small boats in the channels

•            An end to NHS waiting lists and provide NHS Dentists

•            Good wages for a good day’s work

•            Affordable, stable energy bills (the Scrapping of Net Zero)

•            Improvements to public services and housing (Housing that puts British People first not illegal immigrants)

•            An economy based on low tax high growth

•            A ban on critical race theory and trance gender hogwash that is dangerously indoctrinating our kids

I believe in family, community and country, I’m not afraid to say it how it is. I loathe those who manipulate the system for self-gain, and I’m passionate about a better future for us all. You see I am not like any modern-day politician.

But I will make a very good MP standing up for Whitehaven and Workington. We ALL deserve better.