Yahoo News General Election 2024: Brigg and Immingham candidates share priorities and answer questions
There are just days to go before polling stations across the UK and northern Lincolnshire open their doors to voters for the general election.
Ahead of polling day, Grimsby Live has asked set questions of all candidates standing in the new Brigg and Immingham constituency. This seat consists of elements of the former Cleethorpes, Brigg and Goole, and Grimsby constituencies, including the Scartho ward from Grimsby.
The area comprises much of rural northern Lincolnshire, but also at least part of four towns. Read on below to find out the priorities of candidates standing in Brigg and Immingham.
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Labour Party - Najmul Hussain
With reference to your background, what makes you the best candidate?
"I’m a working-class lad from North Lincolnshire, with successive generations of my family working in the steelworks. I’ve got very strong connections with the constituency.
"I’ve lived in the area my whole life so I share in the concerns and worries of local residents. But beyond that, I worked and studied hard to be the first generation of my family to go to university, holding a law degree and masters in diplomacy and international law.
"I’ve spent over a decade working in and navigating Westminster, fighting for the rights of some of the most vulnerable people across society, including people with disabilities. The point is, I know the system inside and out. I know how to navigate the pitfalls of Westminster, and if elected, I have the skills and experience to give the people of Brigg and Immingham the best and most effective representation."
What will be your priorities for Brigg and Immingham, if elected?
"I will stand up for local residents and ensure your voices are heard. I will give you the representation that you deserve.
"The cost-of-living crisis has hit residents across Brigg and Immingham hard and our current MPs have done nothing to support them. I will hold regular cost-of-living surgeries across the entire constituency, providing direct advice and support to residents, giving them tools and mechanisms to navigate this difficult time.
"If elected I will campaign for better and more reliable public transport by working with local and national stakeholders to restore frequent, trustworthy services.
"Equally, I will support GPs and dentists to tackle waiting times and protect the NHS by delivering more operations, appointments and diagnostic tests during the evening and on weekends.
"Finally, I will work to develop and grow our local economy, including better roads and infrastructure. I will work to revitalise our town centres and work to ensure our roads and infrastructure, including the A180, are fit for purpose."
Reader-prompted question: When will Immingham get the redevelopment of Kennedy Way? - Given this, and the recent Post Office closure, what will you do to support Immingham’s amenities?
"After speaking to hundreds of residents across Immingham, I’ve made the effort to actually understand the issues surrounding Kennedy Way." Mr Hussain expressed the view a key amenity had been allowed to degrade.
"This cannot go on. The culprits need to be held account and I’ll make every effort to ensure that this is the case.
"I have already spoken to residents in Immingham and I promise that my first campaign in the town will be to restore the Post Office and the services they depend on. I will, as part of my efforts to prioritise and grow our local economy, work to get Kennedy Way redeveloped and give the residents of Immingham the services and amenities that they deserve."
Reader-prompted question: Will you campaign to stop the pylons from going through our countryside? - If elected, what is your stance on the proposed Grimsby West to Walpole overhead pylon line?
"I believe every alternative should be considered, and any development should be sustainable and balanced against conservation. There needs to be a meaningful consultation where the views and opinions of residents and
local businesses should be heard and taken into account.
"Any detriment should be visibly considered before plans are greenlit. I know it’s a short answer, but I don’t believe in waffle."
Reform UK - Paul Ladlow
With reference to your background, what makes you the best candidate?
"I believe I am the best choice as PPC for the Brigg and Immingham constituency given that I am obviously local and have a wide experience of living and working in the area. I am by no means what would be described as a 'career politician’ having only started the process to be a candidate in this general election at the beginning of 2024.
"This is what I believe is fundamentally wrong with our current political system - far (far) too many MPs who have no experience of 'real life' and are indeed in politics simply as 'a job'. There is no conviction by the MPs who simply oppose the views of other political parties just because they can. We need political representation from people who will speak their minds, and the minds of the constituents who elected them."
What will be your priorities for Brigg and Immingham, if elected?
"I have no specific priorities for my Brigg and Immingham constituency if elected. My priorities are simply those of my constituents, be they individual or groups. I would hold meetings / discussions in all of the constituency wards and prioritise the concerns of all. Those concerns would be acted upon with my full conviction and I would not be held back by party loyalty if it was to the detriment of my attempted resolution of any issue."
Reader-prompted question: When will Immingham get the redevelopment of Kennedy Way? - Given this, and the recent Post Office closure, what will you do to support Immingham’s amenities?
"As above. I can’t say that I know anything about the 'redevelopment of Kennedy Way' but I would soon find out the issues my constituents have and devote all of my time required to resolve / move forward any ongoing concerns."
Reader-prompted question: Will you campaign to stop the pylons from going through our countryside? - If elected, what is your stance on the proposed Grimsby West to Walpole overhead pylon line?
"Again as above. I don’t know the specifics of the 'Grimsby West to Walpole overhead power line' and I do not know of the plans to erect power lines through the countryside. I would say that in principle I believe all new power lines should be underground and not overhead. Cost must not be a consideration, political conviction has no cost, it just needs the simple common sense approach which Reform UK advocate.
"Enough of the continued status quo. Our political system has failed totally and needs reformation, starting with the voices of typical working people having representation in Westminster. We do not need more of the same hot air and bluster from our previous, failed representatives."
Liberal Democrat - Eleanor Rylance
With reference to your background, what makes you the best candidate?
"When I was a child my family fell into severe poverty, and my parents took the decision to emigrate to France in order to offer us a better life. My mother in particular fought every day to feed us.
"My parents always drilled into us the power of education in changing lives, and I did academically well enough to get into Cambridge University after school. That exposed me to a whole new world - not better, just different, but with fancier buildings.
"I have led a very varied life and think I have gained empathy because of it. I know that sometimes people have a lot stacked against them, but the one thing I have learned along the way is how resilient people can be if they have a good community around them.
"I very much believe in the strength of community and in giving people more power over their own lives. Not having choices seems to be one of the worst things that can happen. I’ve been involved in community work my entire adult life, including as a parish and district councillor."
What will be your priorities for Brigg and Immingham, if elected?
"People need better access to medical and dental care - if elected I would fight for far better standards of both, and a return to proper NHS dentistry - bad teeth are painful and make people’s lives a misery. Affordable social care for older people needs hugely expanding so avoid vulnerable people being stranded in hospital because there is nowhere for them to go, and to ensure people can stay independent for as long as possible.
"I would work to secure investment to revitalise the port - without investment in this key bit of infrastructure, it can’t remain competitive or attract as much business as it ought to. So my focus would be on genuine inward investment, not the dubious beauty contests we've seen deployed by the last government, which seem to channel money to better-off Surrey communities above places that genuinely need inward investment.
"Another key priority is to clean up our waterways - I'm sick of water companies taking our money and dumping the sewage they are supposed to treat straight into rivers and seas. This has to stop. We now know we should be focusing on cleaning up our environment, not making it dirtier, and it’s astonishing that this is allowed to go on."
Reader-prompted question: When will Immingham get the redevelopment of Kennedy Way? - Given this, and the recent Post Office closure, what will you do to support Immingham’s amenities?
"Kennedy Way was built in a different era when the port was in its heyday - it is now showing its age, both in the condition of the buildings and its layout. The funding climate for delivering and renovating infrastructure has changed so completely that any large-scale renovation or redevelopment work would have to come off the back of the building of houses. I would hope to secure inward investment to the port, which would serve to bring more business to the area, more houses for local people and for anybody who might move here, and more money for replacing tired infrastructure.
"The Post Office provides a crucial set of services to local communities including chances to run into friends informally - it is deeply regrettable that the Post Office is making choices to remove such hubs from our communities all over the country, not least because quite a few people are not yet online and need a face-to-face service. I would absolutely campaign to retain / reopen the post office because I can see the good they do to our communities."
Reader-prompted question: Will you campaign to stop the pylons from going through our countryside? - If elected, what is your stance on the proposed Grimsby West to Walpole overhead pylon line?
"Obviously we all need electricity, but the modern way of running electricity supplies through countryside is through trenches. I see no reason to start building brutal-looking pylons in open countryside when we don't need to. I know that this is something local Liberal Democrat councillors are also committed to."
Conservative Party - Martin Vickers
With reference to your background, what makes you the best candidate?
"I was born, have lived, worked and represented this corner of Lincolnshire my entire life and would like the opportunity of continuing to deliver on the campaigns with which I have been involved, such as ensuring the direct train service through to London, which has now received ministerial approval, finally departs, that we retain production and jobs at Scunthorpe steelworks, reforms to the planning system to ensure infrastructure and public services keep pace with house-building, the much-needed resurfacing of the A180 is delivered, and so much more.
"I have helped to secure funds for many projects, including the Barton relief road, the Cleethorpes Masterplan, the Grimsby Youth Zone and additional resources through the High Streets Fund and Coastal Communities Fund. Irrespective of which party forms the government, our area needs a powerful and influential voice in Westminster and voters can be assured that I will continue providing just that.
"I served as a Grimsby councillor for 26 years, the majority of that time in Scartho. I worked, initially in the printing industry and then the retail trade in Immingham and Grimsby. Having worked for the Gainsborough MP for fifteen years and served as an MP for 14 years I have vast experience in how to attract government funding, and ensure the needs of my constituency are heard."
What will be your priorities for Brigg and Immingham, if elected?
"I want to see further improvements to our schools and training facilities, the NHS and the environment, to build on previous successes in attracting the investment that will provide jobs, and to work with police to ensure we crackdown on anti-social behaviour and to reassure people that they can walk the streets safely.
"We must ensure that the local economy continues to grow both in the industrial areas, build on the advantages gained from the designation of Immingham & Grimsby as freeports. I will give support to the agriculture sector, the wider rural economy and allow small businesses to flourish.
"Scunthorpe steelworks is a massive contributor to the local economy and I will work tirelessly to ensure it has a long-term future. Whichever party is in government, the constituency needs a strong local voice, someone who is familiar with local issues.
"Having lived here all my life I don't need focus groups to tell me what local people think, I can easily identify with them and am aware of their priorities."
Reader-prompted question: When will Immingham get the redevelopment of Kennedy Way? - Given this, and the recent Post Office closure, what will you do to support Immingham’s amenities?
"Kennedy Way is in private ownership and I will work with Immingham Town Council and North East Lincolnshire Council in their ongoing efforts to find a solution to this long-standing problem.
"When the ownership issue is resolved it is then that the MP can work to secure funding through regeneration funding streams, most recently that would be through the Levelling-Up programme that has already brought millions of pounds into the area."
Reader-prompted question: Will you campaign to stop the pylons from going through our countryside? - If elected, what is your stance on the proposed Grimsby West to Walpole overhead pylon line?
"I have made clear to ministers my total opposition to proposals that will involve pylons through or close to some of our most beautiful villages and countryside.
"Just before Parliament was dissolved I obtained a debate on this specific issue when the Minister said a review was necessary, and though he could not instigate one during the election period he would do so immediately thereafter. If re-elected I will continue to oppose the scheme and raise it again in Parliament at the first opportunity."
Green Party - Amie Watson
Attempts to contact the Green Party candidate have been unsuccessful. Amie Watson is a Barton-upon-Humber town councillor and a environmental consultant across North Lincolnshire. Keeping climate change, environmental issues and the protection of nature high on the agenda is foremost on the local party website's listed priorities she has.
Others are to invest in the NHS, social care, and schools. The Green Party's manifesto can be viewed here.
