GENERAL ELECTION: Lancaster & Wyre candidates explain why they should be next MP

Candidates for Lancaster & Wyre in the general election have explained why they think voters should choose them as next MP

Four of the five candidates attended a debate at the Beyond Radio studio on Wednesday, which aired on Friday on our 'Beyond the Headlines' show.

The candidates on July 4 in Lancaster & Wyre are Nigel Alderson (Reform UK), Peter Cartridge (Conservative Party), Jack Lenox (Green Party), Matt Severn (Liberal Democrats) and Cat Smith (Labour Party).

Following last year's boundary changes, the new constituency will include Garstang, Preesall, Great Eccleston, Hambleton and Stalmine, Calder, Wyresdale and Brock with Catterall, as well as the Lancaster areas of Bulk, Castle, Ellel, John O'Gaunt, Marsh, Skerton West and East, Scotforth West and East, Scale Hall and the University and Scotforth Rural.

The now-scrapped Lancaster & Fleetwood Parliamentary seat was held by Cat Smith since 2015. 

Wyre and Preston North, which also no longer exists following the shake-up, was held by Conservative Ben Wallace since 2010.

Here is a summary of what candidates had to say during the debate on Beyond Radio, during their opening and closing remarks, as we asked them to explain why voters should choose them to be MP.

PETER CARTRIDGE, Conservative Party

"I'm not your typical Tory. I was born here in Lancaster and Wyre into an ordinary working class family. My mum was an NHS nurse and my father was a cabbie. My parents were divorced and I grew up in a single parent household. Money was always tight and our home was constantly in danger of repossession. Like most local kids I studied at the local comp. I wasn't academic and I was certainly no angel. But I very inspiring English teacher who introduced me to my first novel 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. That book in some ways, and it sounds daft, changed my life in the sense that it taught me that if you do the right things and you work hard, you can do anything you want to do. So I changed my attitude, worked hard, and I was the first of my family to go to university, funding my studies by working in a pub. 

"To this day, I work as a primary school teacher and I also serve as a Wyre borough councillor for Great Eccleston ward. I never want to lose touch with the lives of everyday people. My life experience has forged my political beliefs. I'm a proud working class compassionate Conservative, progressive and quite socially liberal.

"For Lancaster I want to bring a fresh approach to reinvigorating the city centre. We need greater investment in green energy production. For Wyre I want to save our green belt from overdevelopment, promote connectivity across the rural communities, support farming industries and tackle rural crime. I want to see a stronger NHS and better educational opportunities for all.

"On polling day please think very carefully before casting your vote. Sluggish growth and high inflation has been a phenomenon of all Western economies, and the other parties are disingenuous to blame the Conservatives for this. The economy has had to adjust to Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine war within a very short period of time. But the economy has turned the corner. The medicine is working. Now is not the right time to change that course."

JACK LENOX, Green Party

"I joined the Green Party in 2015 because I felt it was the only party offering a genuine alternative to austerity politics. We live in one of the richest countries on the planet and yet nurses are using foodbanks, and schools and roads are crumbling. A million people have no secure place to call home and a hospital appointment or getting to see a dentist is like gold dust.

"I know the people of Lancaster and Wyre share a vision of a future where our country's wealth is put to work, invested in better public services, stronger communities, more productive and fulfilling employment and a restored natural world.

"We all know that the Tories are toast. Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party into an imitation of the Conservatives. Our plans are honest about the challenge and we offer real hope and real change.

"I never wanted to be a politician, however I've spent most of my adult life living through our country's steady decline over the past 14 years. There's a saying that if you don't do politics, politics does you. And my God, have we been done by politics over the past 14 years.

"As a country we've never been more disillusioned. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be this way. Another UK is possible but only if we fight for it and most importantly, vote for it. 

"I love Lancaster and we can win here, but we need all the support we can get. If you want a country where we stand up for human rights, and the rule of international law, a country free of prejudice that allows people to live lives that are authentic to them, a compassionate country that welcomes those who are in need and a country that will tackle the climate crisis head on, then vote Green."

MATT SEVERN, Liberal Democrats

"I grew up in Bolton-le-Sands, I went to school at Ripley St Thomas in Lancaster and I'm a councillor now in Kendal. The Lib Dems have a real plan to get Britain fixed and make the country fairer. We want to put a lot more money into the NHS. We want to make sure that personal care is free for both elderly people and disabled children in their homes, and free people from the worries of rocketing care bills.

"We want to tackle the cost of living by taking steps to bring down prices by, for example, getting Britain (back) into the Single Market to reduce red tape on our imports and exports, make it easier for businesses to grow and expand, back farmers as well, and make it easier to access the highly skilled workforces that all employers need. We want to get affordable housing built, we want to see energy bills down, we want to tackle all of these by taxing, for example, greedy banks and energy companies with windfall taxes, so the ordinary hard working people don't pay any more taxes.

"We want to make sure the centre of Lancaster gets developed around the Canal Quarter. We want to generally get Britain back to a country we can be proud of.

"The Lib Dems have a bold, ambitious and fully costed plan to get Britain to become a fairer place. We want to get Britain building again, get roads fixed and we want to see emergency services response times improve, we want to see the cost of living tackled, bills lowered, wages and benefits raised."

CAT SMITH, Labour Party

"I'm proud to call Lancashire my home and since 2015 I have been honoured to serve as the MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood. In my time serving as the MP I've successfully delivered better bus services for rural communities, I've saved Lancaster railway station's ticket office and seen off attempts to impose fracking on Lancashire. 

"I've supported thousands of residents with case work issues and I strive to be accessible for everyone, holding 'Chats with Cat' events every summer in village halls right across the constituency, and raising thousands of pounds for local charities by doing probably quite crazy things like running the London Marathon several times and the Keswick to Barrow walk.

"It's clear that things aren't working like they used to. The cost of everything has gone up, waiting lists to see a doctor are too long, and our precious waterways have been polluted with raw sewage.

"Our country and our community needs change, and I have the experience to deliver that change.

"I have built a reputation that I am local, I am trusted, and I deliver on what I say I'm going to do. I'm seeking re-election in the new constituency in order to continue to deliver the things that I want to see changed in our communities, be that the new build of the Lancaster hospital to bring it into the 21st century and to continue the work that I do on the House of Commons environment committee to ensure that actually the biggest crisis that we face, which is the climate emergency, will be at the heart of everything that I hope a Labour government would be doing.

"I am a strong and independent voice, I'm not afraid to speak out, and I've certainly never been gagged by anybody."

*We invited all the Lancaster & Wyre candidates to take part in our debate in person, or alternatively provide a mission statement.

A spokesperson for Reform UK said: "Nigel (Alderson) won't be attending the debate."