Cynon’s candidates for MP have their say
LIKE the other two constituencies in Rhondda Cynon Taf, the Cynon Valley is a Labour party stronghold, with the same MP – Ann Clwyd – having held the seat since the 1980s.
At the last General Election in 2015, Ms Clwyd won the seat by a sizeable majority over Plaid Cymru, with 14,532 votes to Cerith Griffiths’ 5,126.
UKIP and the Conservatives took third and fourth place.
The Assembly Member for the seat is Labour AM Vikki Howells, who was elected to the seat last year, although the party has always held the seat, with Christine Chapman having been elected four times.
We offered all candidates the opportunity to send through a picture and respond to a Q&A.
Here is what they said: Ann Clwyd, 80, has been an MP since 1984. She was re-elected in 2015 after announcing she would retire. She was a student teacher in Flintshire before working for BBC Wales and newspapers including the Guardian and Observer. Like every politician I want the best deal for Britain, but, unlike the Conservatives, I do not believe that the best deal for Britain is one which disadvantages ordinary working people, small and innovative enterprise and marginalises the young. For South Wales, leaving the European Union will mean losing the infrastructure investment we have received in recent years, losing support for major local institutions like the University of South Wales, and losing support for our farms and food production.
The Conservatives have made a lot of noise about how they will replace that support, but I do not believe them. If Theresa May wins a landslide on June 8 the Valleys will not be at the head of her list of areas to support, we have never been at the top of any Conservative list for development and that won’t change now.
Any Brexit deal must ensure the best trading relationships we can manage with the rest of Europe, and at the same time we must invest in our future to maximise our ability to compete in the global market place. campaigns and involvement.
A mother of three young children, she runs her own freelance marketing business and is currently a research student studying a PhD in political marketing. allowing us to thrive and prosper, and to speak in a language that the people understand.
I am not here to dwell on the past, I am here to focus on the now and the future, from my own merits and trying my best.