East Worthing and Shoreham: Meet the candidates standing to be your MP

The candidates: Leslie Groves Williams (Green), Tim Loughton (Conservative), Lavinia O'Connor (Labour), Ashley Ridley (Lib Dem)The candidates: Leslie Groves Williams (Green), Tim Loughton (Conservative), Lavinia O'Connor (Labour), Ashley Ridley (Lib Dem)
The candidates: Leslie Groves Williams (Green), Tim Loughton (Conservative), Lavinia O'Connor (Labour), Ashley Ridley (Lib Dem)
These are the candidates hoping to be elected the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham at the General Election on December 12. We asked each one of them why they should get your vote:

Leslie Groves Williams (Green):

“We are fortunate to live in the UK but we cannot afford to be complacent. The Green Party looks forward and we want you to join us.

“I want to bring politics into the 21st Century. Old politics isn’t working. If it did we wouldn’t have a collapsing NHS, rising inequality and people unable to vote with their values. We need politicians who can plan further than the next election.

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“As a Green MP I would proudly represent all constituents, both Leavers and Remainers.

“I would fight for us all to have a People’s Vote on a final deal or to remain in the EU.

“Westminster Politicians have failed us all on Brexit. Like others in Worthing and Shoreham, I’m fed up. We need a radical new politics and the Green Party can offer that.

“As a coastal community, we too will be on the front line of the climate crisis. Rising sea levels will affect all homes on the shoreline and nearby. We have all seen the decline in our environment and sea.

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“Our roads have dangerous levels of air pollution and plans to build on the flood plain can only backfire.

“I bring 20 years’ professional experience of running my own business. I help people find solutions to difficult problems- be they local community groups, the United Nations or the British Government.

“As your MP, I will work with you to address your concerns, I will fight for our beautiful countryside and I will fight for a future worth inheriting.”

Tim Loughton (Conservative):

“It has been my privilege to represent the people of East Worthing and Adur in Parliament. I hope I have earned your trust to carry on my work on your behalf.

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“Born, brought up, educated and living in Sussex most of my life, local people are my priority.

“That is why I pride myself on being as accessible as possible especially through my popular Saturday street surgeries, weekly video updates, newsletters and public meetings.

“I am the only candidate in this constituency who supported Brexit and supports the PM’s deal to get Brexit done at last so we can urgently bring our country back together and focus on the priorities that matter to everyone’s everyday lives.

“Locally our biggest challenge has been securing the record additional investment for education.

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“Next year every school in the constituency will receive well above average real increases in per pupil funding and I will fight to continue to improve standards.

“The OUTSTANDING Worthing Hospital is officially the best hospital in England thanks to the brilliant staff and I want to make every part of the NHS locally outstanding too.

“Remember when we had to form the KWASH campaign in 2007 to stop the Labour Government downgrading it?

“But the biggest challenge facing us all is the Climate Emergency.

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“I want us to do much more locally which is why I am proud of the thousands of Eco Campaigners we have produced through the environmental EYE project I set up for local schools in 2008.”

Lavinia O’Connor (Labour):

“I live in Shoreham-by-Sea and I am a local councillor for Southlands Ward. I am married with two children and four grandchildren.

“I understand the challenges that people living in this Constituency are facing in their daily lives as a result of nearly a decade of cuts and austerity.

“Labour has the policies to immeasurably improve people’s lives. If you do me the privilege of electing me as your MP, I pledge to fight for you on the issues that matter.

“I will campaign on:

JOBS and THE ECONOMY

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A thriving local economy providing secure, well paid, quality jobs

EDUCATON

Work with our teachers to provide quality education with no child left behind

HOUSING

Sustainable house building to provide decent, affordable housing for all generations

TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

Affordable, reliable, clean, publicly-owned energy and transport

SOCIAL CARE AND HEALTH

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Support our NHS and provide decent social care from cradle to grave.

“I am the local candidate in this election standing up for the people of East Worthing and Shoreham. The time has come to elect a local MP who will actually cares about local people.

“No more promising one thing in East Worthing and Shoreham and doing another in Westminster. We need to bring unity to our divided communities. Our wonderful manifesto shows how this can be achieved.

“I will work hard to ensure that we transform our society so that it works in the interests of the many, not the few. I stand for you.”

Ashley Ridley (Lib Dems):

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“My name is Ashley Ridley I am 18 years old. Many of you will be wondering what an 18-year-old is doing running to be an MP and why you should vote for him?

“The first reason is I have been interested in politics as long as I can remember and I was a very inquisitive child which lead me to watch the news and start looking up all the political parties from the age of six onwards. One thing I realised is there is no one who represents me in parliament as there is no one who suffers from PTSD like myself and everyone is highly educated. As a young teenager with dyslexia it was very hard watching these people who don’t represent me make decisions for me.

“I wanted to be the first young person to change the way politics is run in this country, to pave the way for more working class people and people from all communities whether they are BAME or from the LGBTQI+ community or and different religious groups.

“I realised there were not enough young people in parliament, and it was not diverse enough. I wanted to give people a real choice with someone who would represent the people who elected them.

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“To achieve this by stopping Brexit and making sure that those in government start to help the people they represent, too often this has been forgotten. I am ready to do that as the youngest MP in the last decade.”

Here from the candidates directly at the hustings in Shoreham on Monday – find out more here.

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