General Election 2017: South West Herts candidates prepare for battle

READ MORE: General Election 2017 - Hertsmere candidates set out key priorities 

UKIP's Mark Anderson - 'We are the only party offering "real Brexit"'

Mark Anderson, UKIP’s Parliamentary candidate in South West Hertfordshire, says his party is the only one offering “real Brexit” ahead of next week’s General Election.

Anderson said UKIP still has a vital role to play in Brexit negotiations, having been the driving force behind last year’s EU referendum.

“We are concerned we are not going to get the level of Brexit we want. We are the only party offering a real Brexit,” he said.

“We will be the angel on the shoulder of the government on this. There is going to be a watchdog role for us.

“I don’t think Labour can be trusted to deliver any sort of Brexit except in name only, and we question the way the Conservatives will deliver independence.”

But he said UKIP was about more than just supervising the government’s negotiations to leave the EU, citing an epidemic in development at a local and national level. 

“We are concerned at the amount of overdevelopment. If you are a commuter, how is that going to affect you? If you are a young person looking to get on the housing ladder, how is it going to affect that,” he asked.

“They all seem to be quite high-end, expensive properties being built. We want to open up brownfield sites more.”

He also said there were many planned developments across the area but very little in the way of supporting infrastructure proposals.

On David Gauke – the area’s most recent MP – Anderson said: “He’s a nice guy but he’s very much a member of the Conservative Party. He was very much a Remainer during the election.

“My biggest challenge to him is what he’s going to do about the overdevelopment in the area.”

And does he think UKIP has a chance at the upcoming election?

“I would like to see Paul Nuttall in Downing Street on June 9. You don’t join UKIP for career progression in politics. You do it because you want to achieve what you believe,” he stated.

“We are going to continue to ask difficult questions and be an alternative voice.”

The Green Party's Paul de Hoest - 'Fox hunting doesn't strike me as terribly Christian

Paul de Hoest – the Green Party’s candidate in South West Hertfordshire – said the party has grown beyond its environmental roots to address all aspects of society, although they still form a major part of its public commitment.

The first-time candidate takes preservation of the environment very seriously, and says he has shared many impassioned conversations with constituents who share his views.

“Local people are very concerned about the environment. We need to address this issue as none of the major parties care about the environment,” he said.

“If we continue to grow in a polluting fashion on a finite planet, we will get to a bad situation very soon. The current economy is totally fossil fuels based.

“You can build third runways or you can build an economy which is geared towards renewable energy.

“Ten years ago we were a single issue party but now we are looking at the system in totality.”

De Hoest said he was surprised to find that one of the main issues on the agenda of residents was that of fox hunting, which Theresa May said could be legalised again if the Tories retain their grip on Number 10.

“Fox hunting is the single most common query I have been asked about. It doesn’t strike me as a terribly Christian thing,” he said.

“Having banned it, it has been reopened again. I want it to remain banned.”

On privatisation of the NHS, he said it was a short-term measure “to save a few bob” but added that it would not serve the community well in the long run.

“It shows the mentality of the Tory government and councils - it shouldn’t be able cuts but quality of service instead,” he said.

He added that he would champion a new hospital for South West Hertfordshire fit for the 21st Century, saying it had been a long time coming.

And on Brexit, he warned that allowing any party a carte blanche “to do whatever they like” was a dangerous prospect.  

Conservative David Gauke - 'I am committed to the area'

David Gauke, the former South West Hertfordshire MP who is running for re-election next week, says he believes the best interests of his constituents are served by Conservative policies.

Admitting he was a Remainer before the last year’s EU referendum, Gauke said the will of the people had to be respected and acted on.

“I was a Remainer but we have to respect the result and get the best deal we can from Europe,” he said.

“The stronger the mandate, the better the chance we have for a good deal. Only with a stronger economy can we improve services.”

One service he hopes to improve should he be re-elected is the local healthcare on offer, despite saying a new hospital for the area may not necessarily be the answer.  

“We do need a new hospital in the area. We have committed more money to council spending so we can have new hospital facilities,” he said.

“I would be tempted to say that if you are starting with a black sheet of paper, then a greenfield site looks more attractive. But I worry about it being more expensive and taking much longer to deliver. I worry we would be wasting years.”

Echoing the sentiments of his rivals, Gauke said issues in his constituency are similar to those felt in other parts of the country

He said there were challenges in “getting the balance” right with housing, protecting the countryside while making sure housing was being built.

And he reiterated his commitment to his constituents, urging people to vote Conservative at next week’s General Election as it was in the best interests of the country and the county. 

“I think the best interests of South West Hertfordshire are served by Conservative policies. The experience I have gained as a minister has helped me serve my constituents,” he said.

“I am committed to the area – I’ve lived in Chorleywood for 15 years, my children go to local schools. I’m seen out and about even though I have national responsibilities.

“Theresa May has got strong leadership qualities. Jeremy Corbyn has never run anything other than a few rallies.”

Liberal Democrat Christopher Townsend - 'The main thing is opposing a hard Brexit'

Christopher Townsend is hoping a nationwide Liberal Democrat resurgence will thwart a so-called “hard Brexit”.

Townsend says the response from potential voters on the doorsteps has deepened his convictions that people are worried about the negative effects of leaving the European Union.

“The main thing is opposing a hard Brexit. In the commuter belt we are reliant on lawyers, bankers and insurance people,” he said.

“People’s jobs and wealth are genuinely under threat from Brexit. Unless we face up to the fact that we need the single market, we are going to experience a serious economic downturn.

“Theresa May seems to think we can have our cake and eat it. We believe we have to square up to the electorate and say we need to be a part of the single market.”

He also said a second referendum was “the right way forward” once the terms of leaving the EU have been hashed out, and claimed the only reason Theresa May called a snap election was because she was floundering in the wake of tough Brexit negotiations.

“Theresa May called this election because she doesn’t have any ideas on Brexit,” he said. 

After speaking with residents, Townsend said he has become acutely aware of the problem with school funding in the county.

And he backed his party manifesto promise of providing additional funding for the NHS by raising income tax by a penny, arguing: “You can’t have something for nothing.”

Townsend said he lost faith in David Gauke - who he believes to be his closest rival - as soon as he voted along party lines to leave the EU, despite campaigning to remain. 

“In South West Hertfordshire it is a fight between myself and David Gauke. If you look at the local elections, Labour were nowhere while we were six or seven per cent behind,” he said.

“I am in it to win it. I am out campaigning whenever I am awake and am getting some great responses from people on the doorsteps.

Labour's Rob Wakely - 'We don't want Theresa May's bluster and rhetoric'

Rob Wakely, Labour’s candidate for South West Hertfordshire, has focussed his campaigning crosshairs on two major local issues.

On the Labour agenda, not just in the locality but across the country, healthcare and education feature predominantly, and they are two aspects in which this corner of the county has suffered badly in recent years.

“Like most of the people in country, people in South West Hertfordshire are worried about the NHS and about our schools,” said Wakely. 

“I’ve had quite worrying responses from head teachers. One had to make 11 members of staff redundant last year because of budget cuts.

He added that Labour would restore the education maintenance allowance for 16 to 18-year-olds, provide free school lunches for primary school children, and abolish university tuition fees.

“What we don’t want to see is people saddled with student debt,” he added.

As part of its manifesto commitments, Labour is also offering to increase NHS funding by £37 billion over five years.

He said: “If elected, one of my first priorities will be to sit down with the chief executives (of local NHS trusts) and work out what the extra funding will do for them.

“This constituency is an odd shape. We don’t have our own hospital so we are reliant on acute facilities outside of the boundaries.”

He also said his party would make sure local authorities build affordable homes for rent and for sale without developing on green land.

Comparing himself to David Gauke, Wakely said: “My only aim is to serve people in this community as well as I can, which differs with our last MP.

“People find he’s not as responsive as they would like him to be. I can offer a different type of MP.”

And on Brexit, he said Labour was blessed with the best negotiator available, despite some media claims to the contrary.

“With Jeremy Corbyn we will get a calm and principled negotiation. We won’t be getting a blank cheque, and we won’t be getting bluster and rhetoric from Theresa May,” he said.

“The choice in this election is between Labour and the Conservatives. We will fight for a Brexit which will put jobs and people first.”