The General Election
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing your constituency you can help with if you are elected? “I would shine a light on the systematic corruption, exploitation and profiteering by the elite. The political establishment, crooked bankers, the multi-national corporations are all set to make billions from the Brexit negotiations, and it’s you and me that will foot the bill.”
“I work at the National Assembly for Wales as a policy adviser to UKIP AM Gareth Bennett. I have 20 years’ experience as an administrator dealing with bureaucratic organisations.”
What kind of deal do you want to see at the end of the Brexit process? “A vote for Labour will leave us still in the EU, or having to accept uncontrolled immigration.
“This is exactly what the majority of people in Wales voted against.
“If you want to make sure that this doesn’t happen, don’t leave it to Jeremy Corbyn and Kevin Brennan’s Labour Party. Vote Ukip on June 8.”
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing your constituency you can help with if you are elected? “The biggest problem facing Cardiff West is the massive housing schemes, which will lead to more traffic congestion. We need better public transport, including more railway stations to stop the west of Cardiff from becoming permanently gridlocked. At the same time, we need to prioritise housing needs of local people above incomers arriving in the area.”
“I’m 36 and I work as a solicitor specialising in renewable energy projects. I live in Cardiff with my wife and two daughters.”
What kind of a deal would you like to see at the end of the Brexit process? “I passionately believe that no Brexit deal is as good as the deal we have at the moment. The most important feature of any deal is that the people of Wales, not politicians in Westminster, have a chance to vote on the final terms, and the option to remain must be on the ballot paper.”
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing your constituency you can help with if you are elected? “I believe that improvements in education are the route to overcoming our challenges as a constituency. I want to see greater investment in our schools and an emphasis on training and empowering teachers and leaders within schools to deliver the best for our kids. I also want to see greater investment in and promotion of adult training and skills development so that education can be seen as a lifelong journey open to everyone.”
Matt was born and bred in Cardiff. Several generations of his family lived in Ely and Canton in Cardiff West.
His dad was a factory worker at the Bogod plant on Newport Road. His mother is an office clerk at Cardiff University and a voluntary Unison auditor. Matt went to local state schools St Peter’s Primary School, Corpus Christi comprehensive school and St David’s College of Further Education. Matt went on to study at Oxford University. He now works as a lawyer.
What kind of a deal would you like to see at the end of the Brexit process? “Getting Brexit right for Cardiff West matters because it will decide whether or not our children have a safe, secure and prosperous future.
“I want a Brexit which sees us take back control of our government, courts, borders, trade policy and the £350m a week which is the official bill of our EU membership. If we get Brexit right we can use this moment of change to build a stronger, fairer and more prosperous Britain.
“Arriving at this outcome requires strong and stable leadership under Theresa May, not Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour, whose only route back in to government is with a coalition with Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP which would sideline Wales and Cardiff West.”
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing your constituency you can help with if you are elected? “Overdevelopment in Cardiff West, growing local small businesses, standing up for local high streets, supporting pubs, restaurants, cafes and the local visitor economy, fighting for better infrastructure and road surfaces, investing in education, training, skills and local jobs.”