The main political parties have picked the candidates they hope will be MP for Hertford and Stortford after the next General Election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has indicated he expects to go to the country “in the second half” of this year. The latest date for a poll is January 28, 2025.
In the meantime, the Indie has invited the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green Party and Reform UK hopefuls to introduce themselves to our readers before the campaign proper begins. Over the coming months, with a column every two or three weeks, they will be trying to connect with the electorate.
Our brief to all five was “not to parrot your party’s national position, but take the opportunity to tell our readers – your voters – about your personal principles” and talk about local, national and international issues. We also included a caution not to ignore “the elephant in the room”, and to address controversies affecting their party openly and honestly.
Julie Marson, Conservative MP for Hertford and Stortford and her party’s candidate at the next election, does not write...
Although we extended the same invitation to all five election candidates – John Burmicz (Reform UK), Helen Campbell (Lib Dem), Nick Cox (Green Party), Josh Dean (Labour) and Julie Marson (Con) – Mrs Marson ignored our email. We will continue to invite her to submit future columns.