As we stand at the gate of the year, British politics is beset by an acute sense of crisis.

Things cannot go on as they are, and my prediction is that 2019 will be the most politically significant year of our lifetimes.

Brexit will dominate the headlines, but beneath the froth and fury in Westminster, many people’s lives have become more fragile and less certain.

For EU citizens who have chosen to make Watford your home, the Labour Party’s message in 2019 is that we will always be on your side.

My grandfather came to England in 1942. The rights and freedoms that he fought for, as an airman in the Second World War, are today enjoyed by British and EU citizens in Watford and I will always support the continuation of those rights, regardless of what happens with the Brexit negotiations.

Like many European citizens, my grandfather made his home here - he felt safe and secure here and brought up a family here. People like him have made an invaluable contribution to our public life and to our community.

After almost nine years of Tory rule, ever-growing inequality and the deliberate degradation of our public services, Britain is calling out for a change.

Despite years of hard work and playing by the rules, many families struggle to make ends meet; the Tories have betrayed our British sense of fair play.

Labour stands ready to deliver a radical alternative to rebuild and transform our country – let’s make 2019 the year it happens for the many and not the few.

Chris Ostrowski is Labour parliamentary candidate for Watford