Meet the Herefordshire candidates for Reform and more

It may have come as a surprise to some voters to see a Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate standing in North Herefordshire in next week’s election.

The party formed from a split in the Labour Party in the early 1980s, then merged later the same decade with the old Liberal Party to form the Liberal Democrats. But some supporters have kept the SDP going separately up to the present.

Its local candidate is Michael Guest, a former member of the Royal Army Medical Corps, head of the South London Irish Welfare Society and mayor of the Cumbrian town of Whitehaven, who now lives in Leintwardine.

He describes himself as “a strong believer in people before self and political ideology, traditional values, freedom of speech, regional and community identity, UK sovereignty and secure borders”.

Meanwhile in Hereford and South Herefordshire, independent candidate Mark Weaden is taking an unorthodox approach to campaigning, releasing over 40 “reels” or short online viral videos this month alone – and appears to be the only candidate active on TikTok.

A Hereford resident, Mr Weaden runs local groups supporting new and expecting fathers.

He is standing “because I am unhappy about the manner in which our politicians and people in authority have acted, and feel they have been found wanting”, according to his website, markweaden.com .

His election flier asks: “Why do you believe the same people will honour any pledges? Past politics shaped the current social and economic damage.” But it is light on specific proposals.

Meanwhile the surprise package nationally in this election campaign has been the surge in support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. The party is represented locally by Andrew Dye in North Herefordshire and Nigel Ely in Hereford and South Herefordshire.

A former paratrooper, Mr Dye said: “Our national priorities are all wrong and the true interests of the British people clearly do not matter at all to our political class.”

Young people “should not be forced to lead lesser, meaner lives because of a non-existent climate crisis”, he believes.

Nigel Ely is also a former para and member of the SAS, which he has drawn on in several successful published books.

He lists his local priorities as improving health and social care, supporting local businesses and tackling the pothole “crisis”.