This election is all up in the air with just over a week to go and the key message going out to Lib Dems everywhere is target, target, target. I agree 100% with one caveat.

When I wake up (or perhaps more realistically; go to sleep) on 9th June I would like us to have more MPs. Whilst the number of likely gains is small in number, each one will be a massive boost to the party and the hard-won result of hours and hours of volunteers delivering, canvassing and promoting those candidates.

My one caveat however, is that I would be very disappointed if our parliamentary party was not more diverse. I know that hundreds of activists have been supporting many of our fantastic women standing for parliament in held and previously held seats; from Sarah Olney to Jo Swinson; Tessa Munt to Christine Jardine there has been a clear awareness of the need to ensure the Liberal Democrat MPs in this next parliament aren’t all men.

However, another element of diversity the party does not seem to be following through on, as strongly, is ensuring the ethnic diversity of our MPs. We have a very strong chance to elect one such MP in Amna Ahmad, the incredible candidate for Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park and who I have been fortunate enough to be campaigning for over the past four days. 

There is an incredible opportunity here for our party but we need people to support Amna and the team here as they push to regain the seat. It’s going to be very close but Amna needs that last push now to get people voting for her which I know she can do with your support, especially at action days this coming weekend.

Amna is has passion to drive for change, seen through her involvement with the development of the 1p in the pound funding pledge for NHS, social care and mental health funding that became party policy and a flagship manifesto commitment. Amna is also championing the local NHS, (including St Helier) and local schools and will fight against the proposed conservative cuts. Amna will be the strong, campaigning MP that this constituency needs.

Sutton is also a great borough to visit, and I’ve been getting to know it street by street! The team here are fantastic and extremely welcoming; but if you can’t get down here in person then there are other ways to help through donations, phone-banking or sending stamps!

I know I will be very frustrated if we miss out here by a handful of votes and I’m appealing to anyone within touching distance of Sutton to come and help Amna out. There’s also.an added bonus in Sutton Borough – you can campaign for Tom Brake in neighbouring Carshalton and Wallington where he is defending his seat against a UKIP / Conservative alliance.

Passing motions on diversity is all well and good, but when we have the opportunity to make that change and get strong ethnic minority candidates elected we need to step up and make it happen because others won’t always be there to do it for us.

You can sign up to help this coming weekend here – Saturday & Sunday or pledge your support here.

* Edward Sainsbury irst joined the Lib Dems in 2011 and blogs from www.esainsbury.wordpress.com