General election: Candidates for Caerphilly

Steve Aicheler
Welsh Liberal Democrats

Your connection to the constituency
I have lived in Caerphilly with my family for the last 20 years, so although not born here it is my home and an area of which I am proud.
Tell voters something about you
I am a community councillor and school governor. I try to make my community a better place by volunteering. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to thrive and that by being politically active I can help this to happen. We need leaders who can think globally but act locally.
What is the biggest issue/challenge in the constituency
Closure of the mines and industry caused deprivation in Caerphilly 40 years ago, yet it still exists today. Poverty and poor health still blight this community and it is time governments in Westminster and Cardiff invested in this area to create more opportunities for everyone.
What is the best thing about the constituency
Caerphilly has both beautiful landscapes and great communities. From our fantastic castle, to the amazing trails and hills, I love being out and about across Caerphilly. Being part of a friendly community is also important and is why I have chosen to make Caerphilly my home.
What is your top priority if elected
My biggest priority is making sure that the people in Caerphilly get access to opportunities to thrive. For this they need access to education, healthcare and employment. So my priorities would be to get the economy working by strengthening ties with Europe, fixing the NHS and investing in education.

Chris Evans
Welsh labour

Your connection to the constituency
I was born and brought up in the South Wales valleys. Up until the recent dissolution of Parliament, I had the privilege of being MP for Islwyn for 14 years.
Tell voters something about you
I am a published author of two sports biographies, one on boxer Freddie Mills and another on football manager Don Revie. Until Parliament was dissolved, I was Shadow Minister for Technology, which has grown my belief that South Wales can and should be a hotspot for innovative new tech businesses.
What is the biggest issue/challenge in the constituency
One of many areas in which we have let down by the Conservative government is connectivity. We are disproportionately affected by unreliable 4G, and we can’t expect anyone to maximise the potential of their small business or finish their homework to a great standard when the internet is unusable.
What is the best thing about the constituency
I enjoy history, so I would have to say the amazing Caerphilly Castle. We are lucky to have 750 years of history on our doorstep, and since it’s been preserved so well, it gives a real sense of how formidable it was in its heyday.
What is your top priority if elected
We need to tackle the cost of living. The price of energy has been a major driver of this crisis, which is why I want to see Labour take forward Great British Energy, investing in homegrown clean power to end reliance on international gas markets and seriously cut energy bills.

Brandon Gorman
Welsh Conservative Party

Your connection to the constituency: 
I’m a Caerphilly native. I was born at the then Caerphilly District and Miners Hospital. I attended my local community school St Cenydd and still live in the constituency.
Tell voters something about you: 
I grew up watching my parents work hard for our family and serve our local community with dedication. My dad a college teacher and my mum a health worker in the NHS. I want to make that same difference to people as their local representative. 
What is the biggest issue/challenge in the constituency:  
One of the biggest issues is the difficulty in accessing GP appointments. Patients at times are waiting two or more weeks to be seen. I aim to address this by helping to create a new primary care strategy for Caerphilly, ensuring residents receive timely and efficient care.
What is the best thing about the constituency: 
Caerphilly is a tight knit community, with a rich history surrounded by beautiful landscapes, all of which is highlighted by the iconic Caerphilly castle. Caerphilly has a lot to offer and, in my view, is one of the most welcoming places in the whole Wales.
What is your top priority if elected:  
My top priority is to bring a common-sense voice to Caerphilly, engaging everyone - young, old, politically active, or not - in this journey. Together, we can create a brighter future. This can be built by fostering a culture of accountability, community and trust, and I know we can do it.

Joshua Kim
Reform UK

Your connection to constituency: 
I live in Machen with my young family. My daughter goes to Machen Primary. While I work as a teacher in Cardiff now, I have done supply teaching in Bedwas. 
Tell voters something about you: 
I’m very hard working, a graduate of a world-class university. My head of department would agree that I am entirely dependable and get things done. I’m not aiming for a place in a future cabinet, but rather to be a great constituency MP, working industriously to sort constituents’ issues.  
What is the biggest issue/challenge in the constituency: 
Poor governance. Caerphilly is not getting the level of funding we should be getting because the Welsh Government is wasting our money - £32 million on the 20mph fiasco - and because the main Westminster parties are obsessed with virtue-signalling by squandering billions on Net Zero. Vote Reform for clean governance!
What is the best thing about the constituency: 
My favourite part of the constituency is Mynydd Machen. I regularly walk up Mynydd Machen with my baby son. On a clear day, the summit offers a glorious vista across South Wales, from Newport into the Vale of Glamorgan, as well as Bristol, Flat Holm and Steep Holm.
What is your top priority if elected: 
Aside from being the best constituency MP I can be, my top priority if elected is to help Reform be an effective opposition to the incoming Labour government, especially on the issues of mass immigration and Net Zero. If the Labour candidate is elected, then he will slavishly support Labour.

Mark Thomas
Green Party

We approached the candidate for a contribution.

Lindsay Whittle
Plaid Cymru

Please provide a biography of yourself including your age, career history, family and hobbies.
I’ve served in Caerphilly as a councillor for 48 years, and am currently the councillor for the Penyrheol, Trecenydd and Energlyn ward. I’m a former housing manager in Cardiff – a career I pursued for 25 years. I was also the leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council from 2008-2011, a post I served in for a second time, after previously leading the authority between 1999 and 2004. I was a member of the then National Assembly between 2011 and 2016, representing the south-east Wales region. I’m chairman of the governors of my former school, Cwm Ifor Primary in Caerphilly. I volunteer at two schools with the Baptists 707 Literacy project, The Oasis Community Church coffee shop and I also help out at the Spirit Church foodbank in Caerphilly town.
2. Name a policy you want to see become law if elected as an MP
People who are terminally ill should not have to suffer in their last days, weeks or months. And they should not have to travel to a clinic in Switzerland – if they can afford it – to pass away with dignity and pain free. I would support the drafting of assisted dying legislation. 
3. What’s the biggest issue facing Wales and what will you do to fix it? 
Tackling poverty. Almost 30 per cent of children live in poverty in Wales. That is totally unacceptable in the 21st century. We need to give our children a good start in life but many are being failed. But it is not just children who are living in poverty it is many families – even though many adults are working – who rely on foodbanks to help feed themselves and their children. Many older people still live in poverty as do disabled people who are unable to work.
4. Who has been the best British Prime Minister and why?
It has to be the 1945 Government of Clement Attlee. It transformed Wales and the UK after the Second World War. They set up the National Health Service making healthcare free of charge at the point of delivery. They created the welfare state, introduced social security and nationalised a host of industries, including railways, electricity and gas and coal mines.