Meet the parliamentary candidates standing in Stoke-on-Trent North
By Sarah Garner
3rd Jun 2024 | General Election 2024
There are six parliamentary candidates standing in the Stoke-on-Trent North constituency; we approached them for more information about why people should vote for them.
Here is what each candidate told us:
Jagadish Boyapati - Independent
"I am a local GP and have been working in Tunstall for more than 10 years. Working as a doctor has given me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. This has given me humility, sensitivity and an understanding of the social, economic and health challenges that we face. In many instances , these problems are interconnected.
"It pains to see people struggling with rising costs and mortgages, ever increasing hospital waiting times , difficulty in getting medication due to supply issues, fall in living standards, growing unemployment, crime and anti-social behaviour. There are buildings all around our constituency in a state of total disrepair. We need peace and harmony in this world.
"When I speak to people, many are frustrated that nothing changes irrespective of who is in power and many don't even want to engage in the electoral process and vote.
"Irrespective of whichever party is in power, we are presented the same old ideas recycled as new and the conditions keep worsening for us all. We need new leaders with fresh perspective on current situations who can come up with new innovative ideas to improve the socio-economic, education and health conditions
"I am not restricted by the narrative of any political party . I want to focus on the priorities of the people of Stoke-on-Trent North and work to improve the conditions in our Constituency."
Joshua Harris - Green Party
"I grew up in the Midlands and I'm proud to call it home. I first joined the Green Party back in 2015 as I saw the message of hope offered. In recent years, I think people have realised we do politics differently and that's why the number of elected Greens has grown so rapidly, we now have over 800 councillors across England and Wales.
"Westminster is broken and people are fed up with politics not working for them. That's why I'm standing, making sure people can vote for real hope and real change instead of the failed business as usual. We've got a Conservative Party who over 14 years have cut public services and overseen utter chaos, and we've got a Labour Party who U-turn on so many important issues and aren't offering the solutions we really need.
"Only the Green Party has a credible plan to sort out the major problems we face, and I'll be campaigning to tackle the cost-of-living crisis which also means rapid action to tackle the climate emergency, to build a fairer and greener Britain. I believe a Green voice is really important in this election, to stand up for people so often ignored and push for bold and ambitious policy.
"Take housing, the median house price in Stoke-on-Trent North is £140,000 and that's part of the housing crisis we're seeing all over the country. But we have a plan for a Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price charter that would not only mean we build the quality housing we need, but we'd introduce rent controls, bring empty homes back into use and improve the planning system.
"I hope to earn the support of people across Stoke-on-Trent North who believe the time for meaningful change for people and planet is now."
Karl Beresford - Reform UK
"In the forty-one years since I left school at sixteen, life has been a constant struggle through successive red and blue governments plundering our nation's wealth, our industries, our social housing and our very identity.
"When my first-born came into the world I was just nineteen and we lived in a Council flat. I worked three jobs over seven days a week just to provide for my small but rapidly growing family - so I really do understand hardship, struggle and what it means to go hungry – hence my ambition and drive to climb out of the poverty trap we were in.
"I was an Independent Chairman of my local Council, I was also Chairman of my local Constituency Labour Party (a position I rapidly abandoned when Corbyn became party leader) and latterly, a fully paid up Conservative – but not any longer, Britain needs change.
"I became a Trustee and Director of my former local Miners Welfare Charity. I can say, hand on heart, that saving the charity from closure has probably been my best project and success to date.
"I have always been a staunch Brexiteer – even before the term was invented. Alas, the two main parties seem to do everything they can to deny our democratic right to determine our own future and our own laws - hence you can't trust them to stand up for Great Britain.
"I'm standing for Reform UK because I've had enough of the mediocre representation and broken promises by successive governments of all colours over many decades.
"If you vote the way you always have – you will only get the same result.
"If you want to see real change and are fed up too, don't vote as you did before,
"Get involved, join us, volunteer, help us campaign but most of all – Vote for common sense policies – Vote REFORM UK."
Jonathan Gullis - Conservative
"Since being elected in December 2019, I've spoken in Parliament 761 times, which is over four times more than the last Labour MP in the same time period. I have also dealt with over 25,000 individual pieces of casework.
"I'm proud of my record of delivery. Part of the £56 million Levelling Up Fund is breathing new life into Tunstall library and baths, the £17.6 million Kidsgrove Town Deal has refurbished and reopened Kidsgrove Sports Centre, built a UK-leading pump track at Newchapel Rec and is creating up to 1,700 new jobs at Chatterley Valley West.
"£13.8 million will transform Burslem indoor market, improve Burslem and Tunstall town centres, enable Port Vale FC to create a revolutionary new wellbeing campus, and fund a new green skills centre at Stoke-on-Trent College's Burslem campus.
"Six new and extended bus routes are better connecting our communities, and £208 million is being invested into filling in potholes and resurfacing more roads. I've also secured 500 jobs from the Home Office in Stoke-on-Trent.
"Work on the new outpatient building is underway at Haywood Community Hospital, and there's new CCTV for Kidsgrove and Tunstall.
"What's the alternative? Labour - who took us for granted for decades and failed to deliver for residents. We can't risk going back to square one.
"Stoke-on-Trent Labour refused to join over 2000 residents and back my successful petition to empty the North Stafford Hotel of illegal migrants.
"With Labour you will get Sir Keir Starmer's migrant amnesty – welcoming people who arrive on small boats to claim asylum, opening the floodgates to up to 100,000 more illegal migrants from the EU and cancelling the Rwanda deterrent policy.
"I hope that you will lend me your vote so I can continue standing up for the people of Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove & Talke."
Lucy Ann Hurds - Lib Dem
We are still waiting for a response from Lucy Ann Hurds.
David Williams - Labour
"I've lived, breathed and loved our area my whole life. My mum and my grandad worked in the Potbanks of Tunstall and Burslem. As a kid, after mass on Sunday I played in our local parks.
"In the early days of Labour's flagship Sure Start Centres, I developed programmes to help lift families out of poverty and give our children the best start in life. I then moved into the voluntary sector, working as Business Development Director for a Queen's Award-winning local charity.
"For twenty years, I've brought millions of pounds of funding to our local area. I've created award-winning employment schemes. I've worked to address homelessness. I've tackled food poverty and holiday hunger. I've helped to set up affordable housing for young workers with capped rents and bills. I've secured funding to set up new clubs for young people which had been closed by the Conservatives.
"Like you, I've seen first-hand the impact that fourteen years of Conservative government has had on our proud communities. Services we all rely on have been cut to the bone. A Conservative cost-of-living crisis has seen our heating bills, food prices, rents and mortgages soar. Residents are waiting longer and longer for operations. Families are unable to register with dentists. Our social care system is in meltdown.
"I listen to residents day in, day out and it is clear that it is time for change. There's a clear choice at this election: more chaos with the Tories, or stability with Labour. It's time to turn the page and start to rebuild our country.
"I promise that I will fight for you and your family, and I hope you can offer me your support so that we can work together to make Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove a better place for each and every one of us."
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READ MORE: General Election 2024: Parliamentary candidates in each Stoke-on-Trent constituency
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