Congratulations to Craig Martin, selected on Thursday night by Durham Lib Dems to contest the seat, one of the most marginal in the North East, at the May 2015 general election.
The City of Durham is 27th on the unofficial list of top 50 targets, with a Labour majority of 3,067.
Craig, a 25-year-old teacher from County Durham, had this to say following his selection:
“Liberal Democrats in government have delivered for Durham: an £800 tax cut for 33,000 low and middle earners, £7.8m more in school funding for the poorest local children, 3,000 more local apprenticeships and an unprecedented rise in the state pension for 15,400 local residents. It’s a record I’m proud to take out on the doorsteps in Durham. Local people deserve an MP who looks to the future, is passionate about creating and safeguarding jobs and who stands up for the whole constituency – city and villages.”
Leader of the Lib Dems on Durham County Council Amanda Hopgood added of Craig:
“Craig is exactly the candidate we need and he will make a fantastic MP for Durham. He is a young, passionate, fearless campaigner who will fight to get the best deal for the whole of Durham. Our city and villages have been taken for granted by Labour for too long. We need an MP who will protect our local green belt, attract more jobs to the area and bring a fresh approach to solving the problems local people face. Only the Lib Dems can beat Labour in Durham and deliver a brighter future for our area.”
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4 Comments
Every success! Craig sounds 100% the ideal Party candidate. From a well-wisher (who knows precisely what is meant by living in a “city… taken for granted by Labour for too long”!) There is ever indication that, under the weakest leader they have had since…. Gordon Brown (!), much of the Labour vote is ripe for picking. Not much doubt a fair chunk of it will go to the Angry Old White Semi-skilled/Unskilled Blokes Party, come May, but we need desperately to attract/win back the progressive, young, innovative, outward-looking vote in such areas and candidates like Craig are the people to do it. Good Luck!
I know Craig personally, having campaigned with him on many occasions around the North-East.
He’s funny, friendly and a tireless campaigner and I can’t think of a better candidate for Durham,
I believe The Lib. Dems. were a power for the good of this country working in conjunction with The Conservative. They curbed the excesses of the Right wing of the Conservative and together they brought this country through one of the worst financial crisis which was world wide, and from which we have emerged as one of the strongest economies in the West.
Unfortunately I have had to research who my candidate is. Please send me a copy of your manifesto
so you don’t what to build on the green belt that will provide money and homes for the people of Britain