The Leicester West General Election candidates tell you why they think they deserve your vote

The Leicester West candidates have explained why they think they deserve your vote. With the General Election approaching, LeicestershireLive approached parliamentary hopefuls from the 10 constituencies of Leicester and Leicestershire to give them the chance to address local voters.

In Leicester West, seven candidates are vying for your support when the country goes to the polls on Thursday 4th July. Among them is Liz Kendall, who has held the Labor seat since 2010 and is currently shadow secretary of state for work and pensions. in Sir Keir Starmer’s study.

She will face candidates from the Conservative Party, the Greens, the Liberal Democrats, Reform Britain, the Socialist and Trade Union Coalition and One Leicester, the city’s newest party, with the poll suggesting Labor will hold the seat. Find out what your candidates have to say below.

READ MORE: All candidates for the 2024 Leicester and Leicestershire General Election

Green Party candidate Aasiya Bora

“I am (a) teacher and project worker. I am an excellent listener and have always tried to do my best for the people around me. I really want to be a grounded, approachable MP who takes the concerns of Leicester West to Westminster.

“Communities in Leicester West are yearning for positive change. After 14 years of Conservative misrule, the climate crisis, the inequality crisis and the cost of living crisis have gotten immeasurably worse. In Leicester our playgrounds seem to be closing due to political choices and priorities set by Labor politicians.

“The Greens are looking to raise revenue through a wealth tax on the wealthiest members of society so we can invest in the NHS, youth services, green jobs, for example retrofitting skills to help insulate homes, so that the bills are lower.

“We are the only ones demanding that public utilities such as gas, water and electricity return to public ownership. A clean flowing river to paddle and canoe in is something the children of Leicester really deserve as they live furthest from the coast.

“By addressing the climate crisis, we will take the necessary long-term measures to ensure that floods and heat waves become more moderate. We need to help farmers become productive and reward them for a nature-centered approach to growing food.

“We are the party with the progressive vision of connecting solutions to our various problems. We want to see a society centered on well-being, investment and innovation, and to restore the things that have always belonged to people.”

Conservative candidate Max Chauhan

“I’m Dr. Max Chauhan, born in Birmingham. I have strong links with Leicester, a city known for its cultural heritage and economic potential. Growing up, this city was my home away from home.

“In 2017, I became Deputy Chief Medical Officer at University Hospitals Leicester, overseeing numerous projects and recognizing the critical importance of healthcare for the residents of Leicester. My aim is to improve healthcare services and facilities in Leicester West by sharing the knowledge gained from my medical career.

“I am committed to securing critical healthcare funding to promote healthier lifestyles by addressing the shortcomings of the city’s current labor management. For too long, Leicester’s potential has been exhausted. With the support of my Conservative colleagues, we aim to unlock Leicester’s potential.

“The East Midlands devolution deal, which could have brought in over £1.4 billion in funding, was a missed opportunity to invest in Leicester’s healthcare facilities and services due to the Labor mayor’s decisions and reluctance Labor MPs to challenge it.

“However, the Tory Government has allocated nearly £58 million to Leicester through the leveling fund. Unfortunately, these funds have been misallocated for projects such as pop-up cycle lanes, which are causing traffic disruption and chaos across the city, particularly in Leicester West. Instead, they should have been used to preserve local markets and improve infrastructure.

“Leicester deserves better and with over 20 years’ experience in the public service, I am dedicated to ensuring that Leicester West is prosperous and brought back to life.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Benjamin Feist

“My name is Ben, I live here in Leicester West and I work as an NHS nurse in the emergency department at Leicester Royal Infirmary. Every day I see patients going to A&E because they can’t get a GP or dentist appointment, or their health deteriorates while waiting over two years for care.

“The Tories have crashed our economy and run our NHS into the ground. We want to revive the NHS. We will recruit 8,000 GPs to ensure people can get an appointment within a week or 24 hours if they are urgent, and reduce waiting lists to ease pain and allow people to get back to work. We also plan to transform social care with free personal care for disabled and elderly adults.

“Around 40% of children in Leicester live in poverty. This is happening under a Labor council and three Labor MPs. The Liberal Democrats will extend free school meals to all primary school children and end the cost of living crisis.

“The Tories’ cost of living crisis has hit everyone hard, forcing impossible choices between rent, bills and food. We will reduce energy bills by implementing an appropriate windfall tax on oil and gas company profits, insulate homes to reduce energy use and by 2030 ensure 90% of electricity comes from renewable sources to reduce bills, clean up air pollution and satisfy net. -zero by 2045.

“I am extremely proud to support our comprehensive manifesto to bring about positive change, transform the lives of ordinary people, end homelessness and make taxes fairer. For a fair deal, vote Liberal Democrat.”

Labor candidate Liz Kendall

“Being MP for Leicester West has been the honor of my life and I have always worked hard for local people. Since I was first elected, I have led the campaign to save Leicester’s amazing Children’s Heart Surgery Unit, which we won against all odds. .

“We fought for more support for our schools and police. We supported local businesses and good quality jobs. And we raised hundreds of pounds for our food banks.

“But I know how much has to change to make life better for people here. In the city of Leicester, people are struggling to make ends meet due to the Tory cost of living crisis. Residents are also worried about rising crime, a lack of decent and affordable housing and long waits for NHS treatment.

“After 14 years of the Conservatives, it’s time for a change. Labor has a plan to rebuild Britain: to provide economic stability and grow the economy, to reduce NHS waiting times, to launch a new Border Security Command, to set up Great British Energy to lower your bills, to crack down on anti-social behavior with more police, and recruit 6,500 new teachers so all children have the best start in life.

“I am ambitious for our city and country. Despite the challenges we face, I know that by working together we can achieve a better future for all of us.

“This is the choice on Thursday 4th July: more of the same drop under the Tories or fully costed and fully funded plans to change our city and country for the better with Labour.”

A candidate from Leicester, Rahoul Naik

“I thought a lot about what I should write in this column. You’ve probably had weeks of politicians talking to you about their party manifesto and the supposed ‘change’ they would bring to Leicester.

“In reality, I’m sure, like most people, your trust in politicians is at an all-time low and with the dictatorship-style leadership in our city, the future doesn’t look so bright either. So I thought I’d best try to give you some hope for the future.

“The people of the area deserve an MP who will put them first and one who is only accountable to them. There are no big lobbies or donors to answer to, no authoritarian leadership to curtail our voters’ freedom to vote. That’s what you get with a One Leicester MP, someone who cares and listens.

“I am committed to having an MP’s office that is open at least six days a week and at hours that are accessible to those who work, care or have childcare responsibilities. Hope comes from actions, not pretty words.

“We need a change in the way we do politics in Leicester and the UK. Politics is something to be done with people, not to people. That’s what you’ll get with me.

“This is the first election in a long time where you can vote with your heart and not choose the lesser of two evils. Make your voice heard. Vote Rahoul Naik and vote One Leicester on July 4.”

Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidate Steve Score

“I ran the successful Save Glenfield Children’s Heart Center campaign. I continued to be involved in defending the NHS and opposing the council’s proposed cut in special needs school trips.

“I would turn down the MP’s £91,346 pay and live on the average salary in Leicester. The super rich got richer and our living standards suffered. The NHS and our public services have been starved of money.

“But Labor is promising more of the same. They say they will not put the extra money needed into the NHS, education or other vital services. Leicester Labor Council offered no opposition to the Tory government, blandly passing on government cuts.

“Around 40% of children in Leicester live below the official poverty line, but the Labor council is ending funding for adventure playgrounds, further cutting children’s centers and reducing special educational needs and transport support for disabled children over 16 to school.

“If they act like the Tories, what’s the point of Labour? That is why we need to build a new party that will fight for working class people.

“We want public ownership, not private profit, no cuts to public services, to tackle climate change (eg with free, expanded, renationalised public transport), an immediate increase in the minimum wage to £15 an hour, the abolition of tuition fees university and ending the war against Gaza and the Palestinian people.

“Just 350 people own £795bn between them. Socialism would use the wealth in society for the benefit of all.”

Also in Leicester West it’s Ian Hayes for Reform UK. We approached the party to give its candidate a chance to make a statement to us for inclusion in this article, but did not hear back by the time of publication.