PEOPLE’S PANEL
OUR People’s Panel is made up of six Sunday Mirror readers yet to decide who to vote for. Each week they will tell us who has had a good run of days on the campaign trail, who has had a shocker and who they currently favour...
RUBY HINE, 17
OUR first-time voter from Barnsley said she would be doing her research this week as the political debate hots up.
Ruby, who turns 18 just four days before the election, says she’s been reading manifestos and thinks Labour’s appeals most at present.
“It’s important because I come from a workingclass background and it’s the type of party that supports this,” she says. Issues that appeal include climate change, mental health services and closing the gender pay gap.
She adds: “There are things in Labour I disagree with like free broadband for all but Corbyn’s trying to appeal to the working class.”
ALAN SILVER, 68
ALAN is still unsure who to opt for – but thinks Jeremy Corbyn came across better than Boris Johnson in the TV debate.
“Corbyn answers with clearer, crisper responses whereas with Boris you just get a lot of bluster,” he says.
“The focus with Johnson about trust and truthfulness has become a significant issue. The Tories masquerading their Twitter account as a fact-checking account was shocking.”
He adds he thinks it bizarre that the Tory manifesto hadn’t been released earlier in the campaign.
SHAZIA BEGUM, 42
SMALL business owner Shazia says she’s still a floating voter – adding that she hasn’t seen anything to give her much confidence in Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn at present.
Shazia, from Worcestershire, says: “I think Boris Johnson is one of those people – I don’t carry any confidence with him, but I don’t really carry any with Jeremy Corbyn either.
“I don’t think the leaders are as strong as they could be.”
She says saving the NHS is still a priority for her but she doesn’t agree with Labour’s policy of renationalising energy, saying we need different providers to have competitive rates.
FRASER SCHURER-LEWIS, 25
DISAFFECTED Tory Fraser is still undecided, saying Boris Johnson is harping on too much about Brexit at the expense of other issues.
He says the TV debate didn’t change his mind as there was no clear winner. “Corbyn performed quite well, Johnson didn’t perform badly – so it didn’t change my mind,” he says. But Fraser, of London via Manchester, feels the Liberal Democrats have had a good week. He says: “I thought the Lib Dem manifesto showed promise with changes to business rates – and progressive drugs policies related to organised crime are a good idea, as is the reduction in carbon emissions target.”
MHAIRI TYNAN, 46
MHAIRI watched the leaders debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn on TV and listened to Labour’s manifesto unveiling – but still feels she is not being appealed to.
She says: “I watched the leaders debate but I didn’t get anything out of it – I felt like it was just point scoring.
“I’m interested in policies, not personalities, and I feel that Boris Johnson tries too hard to be a man of the people.”
Mhairi, of Maidstone, Kent, adds that she isn’t impressed by Labour’s manifesto either – despite hoping that it would reassure her to vote for Mr Corbyn.
TONY CLARE, 45
FORMER military man Tony is also unimpressed by the first TV debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.
He says: “The debate was so farcical, it didn’t sway me in either direction.
“I felt that Jeremy Corbyn’s reluctance went against him.
“I’ve been reading the manifestos of both the Tory and Labour parties. Labour has some good points but I also think the Tories’ looks fair to most.”
Tony, from Essex, adds that he feels Mr Johnson has focused on Brexit too much at the expense of other important issues.