GENERAL ELECTION: A run-down of Louth & Horncastle constituency's candidates

Victoria Atkins

Conservative Party

“Serving you is my first priority. I have brought our local concerns to the heart of government and ensured the needs of our rural and coastal area have been considered in national decision making.

I have secured transformative government investment of £32m for our area. I will keep campaigning for further investment including for our public services.

To improve local healthcare, I campaigned for the new county medical school and more dental services. The new Boston Pilgrim A&E is under threat from Labour’s No New Hospital Programme - don’t let them stop it. Louth Hospital is vital and has my full support.

I oppose National Grid’s proposal to build pylons locally and am calling for an independent review into offshore options. Energy security must not come at the expense of food security and this includes large solar farms such as at Hatton.

I will always advocate for our farmers, local businesses and communities. My community meetings have enabled the public to challenge the Environment Agency’s record on flooding, as well as share local efforts to support people with the cost of living.

I am proud to represent RAF Coningsby and endorse wholeheartedly the Conservatives’ commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.

With your support, I will continue to be a strong voice for our local area.”

The Iconic Arty Pole

Monster Raving Loony Party

“I have lived in Great Carlton for nearly 25 years, being a local councillor for the last 10. This will be my fourth general election, so those with long memories will know that my position and beliefs are the same. My work experience includes employment as a design draughtsman, estimator, salesman and marketing manager in the manufacturing and engineering industries.I have written for various publications, and catalogued for auction houses, and even worked as a film extra.

We need to reverse the privatisation of health,care, police, ambulance,fire and prison services.The same goes for the railway system and water companies.

Locally I have been involved with the ‘Fighting for Louth Hospital’ and been against the Nuke dump from square one. My support for renewable energy stays the same although solar/wind is variable I still want to see tide/wave generators installed around the bases of all offshore windmills. Education; concentrate on reading and numeracy, which will improve the ability to learn.

UK manufacturing needs massive support to reduce the amount of imports, also to incentivise the training of young and not so young staff, this also applies to farmers, fair/fixed prices at the farm gate.We still need high speed fibre for broadband as 5G’s long/short term side effects are unknown.”

Paul Hugill MBEIndependent

“To overcome the stranglehold of two party politics, we need independent MPs who will bring a balanced, positive and fresh perspective to Westminster.

If you want to be represented by someone who listens, cares and acts without the restrictions of party policy - vote for me. I have the skill set and experience to cut through the waffle and get things done.

“I refuse to make promises to grab your vote. I will listen and fight passionately to improve the wellbeing and prosperity of this constituency, its people and the next generation.

Healthcare, roads, cost of living etc are on every candidate’s agenda, however I will go one step further and run a listening campaign in all 77 towns and villages so that I can be your voice in Westminster.

No single party has all the answers. There are good ideas and people on the left, right and centre. I will draw on any idea that protects our countryside, positively improves our region’s economy and nurtures a sense of community and national pride. The value our region adds nationally needs to translate into the quality of people’s daily lives.”

Sean Matthews

Reform

“It is a privilege to be your parliamentary candidate.

In 2018 I retired from the Met Police. My wife, my school age children and I moved near to Horncastle to be close to my eldest daughter and grandchildren.

I have been very involved in the local Conservative party here. The day the Conservatives installed a PM that no one voted for, I resigned and joined Reform UK.

Why Reform? Our low tax, net zero Immigration, cheap energy and zero waiting lists policies make Reform UK the only real alternative.

We are the only party who WILL stop illegal immigration, reform the public sector, scrap the nonsensical net zero policies, and deal with institutions like the BBC and the out-of-touch House of Lords.

Why me? I am not a career politician. I have a broad range of lived experiences that will help me be a more rounded politician.

If I become your MP:

I will hold frequent surgeries throughout the constituency. I want to hear from YOU about the things you care about because those things affect me and my family too.

I will fight to stop the proposed pylons and I will oppose the nuclear dump in Theddlethorpe.

I want Lincolnshire to be full of farms producing food not electricity.

I hope this constituency takes the bold but necessary step to elect someone new here in Louth and Horncastle.”

Ross Pepper

Liberal Democrats

“Now more than ever, people deserve a fair deal. Unfortunately, that is not the reality many face today.

From soaring energy bills, food prices and housing costs to the NHS crisis spiraling out of control with people waiting longer for an ambulance, to see a GP or for cancer treatment, to water companies pumping filthy sewage into our rivers - this out-of-touch Conservative Government are letting us all down and taking everyone for granted.

All that must change.

The Liberal Democrats have a five-year plan to get the NHS back on its feet which includes a £1billion funding boost to primary care that will help give patients a legal right to a GP appointment within a week, or 24 hours if urgent.

We also plan to have environment experts on water company boards to make sure sewage is taken seriously and fines for companies will be reinvested to improve water quality and invest in renewable energy to bring down energy prices.

People are turning to the Liberal Democrats to put an end to this terrible Conservative Government. A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to elect a strong local champion who will fight for a fair deal for you and for Louth and Horncastle.”

Jonathan Slater

Labour Party

“My roots are in East Yorkshire having been born in Beverley. As a football loving lad growing up in Hull, I developed a lifelong dedication to Hull City and that’s also where my involvement with Labour began.

Moving around during my working life I’ve witnessed both urban and rural life, coming to realise that both are unique and endure their own specific problems. Alongside my professional career I have now built-up considerable expertise in local government as a district councillor.

Working for local, regional, national, and international organisations combined with my council experience I believe I’m now equipped to take on Westminster as your MP.

My pledges if I’m elected as your next Labour MP is the following:

1. Campaign for access to high-quality employment opportunities.

2. Fight for more affordable housing which is right for the constituency with the right community infrastructure.

3. Lobby for better national and local transport links.

4. Local support for Labour pledge to save the NHS.

5. Say no to eyesore pylons and a nuclear waste dump on our coast.”

Robert Watson

Green Party

“In recent years, more and more people have realised that far from being just about the environment, the Green Party stands for a way of doing politics totally differently.

The Conservatives have been in charge for 14 years and achieved nothing except Brexit whilst keeping us on a diet of austerity and hardship. On the other hand, Labour wins the prize for the poorest opposition party in living memory and their policies are largely the same as the Conservatives.

Meanwhile newspapers and TV churn out endless trivia about celebrities and gossip while fuelling nasty cultural aggression and covering up the real world of war, famine, poverty and dishonesty in politics and public life.

I am standing in this election to offer people something different. A political party which puts people and the planet first while trying to bring back kindness and compassion into our society. We want to show that Green politicians are different and can be trusted to have the integrity people expect.

Our constituency is threatened by many issues: pylons across it, a nuclear waste dump at Theddlethorpe, oil drilling at Biscathorpe, solar panels on farmland. Lifelong Conservative voters in my village are looking at their living costs and our failing public services and are asking – how long can I continue voting for this?”

• At the time of going to press, no profile had been received for Marcus Moorhouse of the Social Democratic Party