General election 2024 roundup - hear from all the candidates in Cheadle, Hazel Grove and Stockport
By Alasdair Perry
27th Jun 2024 | General Election 2024
With polling day taking place in less than a week, here is what candidates across the borough have been saying.
The Stockport Metropolitan Borough area contains three constituencies, those being Cheadle, Hazel Grove, and Stockport itself.
The boundaries have changed since the last general election - for one, Reddish now forms part of Stockport constituency, and Hazel Grove now includes parts of Heaviley. It is worth checking your own boundaries to see if your constituency has changed.
The election takes place on 4 July, with polling booths remaining open until 10pm.
Find more election coverage and opinion in our General Election news tab.
Cheadle
Alex Drury - Greens
Alex Drury said: "I am standing for election in July so everyone in Cheadle can vote in favour of decisive action on the climate crisis.
"It is the biggest problem we will face this century, but also a huge opportunity for the UK and the North to become a global leader in the green industrial revolution.
"After 14 years of ruinous government, it is time to be bold. The Green Party champions visionary policies that I'm proud to represent, such as tackling poverty through a Universal Basic Income and lowering energy bills by adopting renewables more quickly.
The Green Party has consistently supported a ceasefire in Gaza, a release of all hostages and a ban on sales of arms to Israel. Our party is explicitly anti-racist and supports LGBTQ+ and trans rights."
Find more information HERE.
Marcus Farmer - Independent
This is an unusual one; Marcus Farmer is the candidate, but the 'presenter' of the political movement itself - known as Alp 33 - is a dog called Bruno.
A statement from Bruno on the Alp 33 website reads: "I have asked my walking mate Marcus Farmer to put his name down for the job instead."
According to the campaign, Bruno is the presenter to allow ideas to be spread in a different way.
"We don't need to worry about our clothes, our hair or our faces.
"As the body language of presentation becomes irrelevant, we can concentrate on our ideas without having to bother about how our egos and images are perceived.
A section of the Alp 33 website reads: "Our view on policies is that they are pointless if delivered from a place that is meaningless and devoid of values."
Find more information HERE.
Kelly Fowler - Labour
Kelly Fowler said: "I am proud to be Labour's candidate for Cheadle. This is a brilliant place to live - but we can do even better.
"I will fight for every vote to be your Labour MP as part of a Labour government. It's time for change.
"I've spent my career working with and for people, championing the causes I am passionate about from challenging prejudice to tackling inequality."
Find more information HERE.
Tanya Manzoor - Workers Party of Britain
Tanya Manzoor said: "As a socialist party, the Workers Party of Britain is dedicated to re-nationalizing public services and enhancing education.
"Our new party prioritizes community welfare, aiming to restore essential services to public ownership and ensure high-quality education for all.
"We pledge to tackle crime with effective, community-focused policies and support a fair, just society.
"With a commitment to public ownership and social equality, we strive to serve the needs of the middle class and ensure a prosperous future. Vote for the Workers Party of Britain for real change and a brighter tomorrow.
"Vote Tanya, vote for the Workers Party of Britain."
Find more information HERE.
Tom Morrison - Liberal Democrats
Tom Morrison said: "I have a positive plan for Cheadle Constituency that will give our residents a fairer deal. In Cheadle it's always been a two horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.
"Stepping Hill Hospital has closed huge parts of its estate because of risk of collapse and earlier this year the Intensive Care Unit was closed because the ceiling was falling apart. Our residents and the staff at Stepping Hill deserve so much better, and I will do everything I can to get the funding they need.
"I will fight to stop raw sewage being dumped into our local waterways. Streams like the Mickerbrook and Ladybrook are being damaged and it must stop. It is disgraceful that Conservative MPs voted to allow water companies to keep dumping sewage into our rivers.
"Finally, we need to get better and more investment for our High Streets. I led the campaign to get a Train Station in Cheadle and to get the Banking Hub in Bramhall, but more needs to be done. We need to get the Metrolink to our district centres and we need to get more banking hubs open in areas like Heald Green, Cheadle and Gatley. We must do everything we can to save our high streets, and I will lead this campaign as Cheadle's MP.
"In Cheadle the option is very clear. Residents can vote for a fairer deal and my positive plan for Cheadle, or more neglect and let down with the Conservatives."
Find more information HERE.
Mary Robinson - Conservatives
Mary Robinson said: "I am standing for re-election to be the MP for Cheadle constituency, which I have been for the past 9-years, having been first elected in 2015 and then re-elected in both 2017 and 2019.
I have a strong track record of bringing investment to our area. Whether it be £30m for a new Emergency Care Campus at Stepping Hill which will bring down waiting times and help patients receive the best care, or £14m for a brand-new train station at the heart of Cheadle which will bring investment to our area.
The Conservatives have a clear plan for the country and have delivered on many of our pledges at the last election, such as recruiting more than 20,000 police officers including 1,280 here in Greater Manchester.
This election is a clear choice between sticking to the plan that is working with the Conservatives or going back to square one with Labour and the Liberal Democrats."
Find more information HERE.
Stephen Speakman - Reform UK
Reform UK did not respond to our requests to speak with Stephen Speakman.
Reform UK recently released its election 'contract', the core pledges for which included: a freeze on non-essential migration; detaining and deporting migrants who arrive on small boats; zero NHS waiting lists; lifting the income tax starting threshold to £20,000; and scrapping energy levies and Net Zero.
Find more information HERE.
Hazel Grove
Paul Athans | Conservatives
Paul Athans, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hazel Grove (Image supplied)
"My primary focus is always the same: supporting and representing local residents.
"My local plan for the area is: more money for district centres; improving local transport; better access to health care; affordable homes; tackling crime and antisocial behaviour; and protecting our environment.
"As someone who lives in the heart of our constituency, I understand just how important these points are in our area, and beyond.
"I look forward to continuing to champion local issues and giving Hazel Grove Constituency the strong voice it deserves."
Find more information HERE.
John Kelly | Reform UK
John Kelly did not respond to our request for a manifesto in time.
Reform UK recently released its election 'contract', the core pledges for which included: a freeze on non-essential migration; detaining and deporting migrants who arrive on small boats; zero NHS waiting lists; lifting the income tax starting threshold to £20,000; and scrapping energy levies and Net Zero.
Find more information HERE.
Tim O'Rourke | Social Democratic Party
Tim O'Rourke, Social Democratic Party parliamentary candidate for Hazel Grove (Image supplied)
"Hazel Grove is close to where I live, and I have many friends there and have spent a lot of time in the constituency.
"The SDP's New Declaration [...] is for me the ideal mix of left wing economics combined with a great respect for pride in our country and the need for a strong sovereign state and control of our borders.
"The laws that govern us are made by people we can ultimately remove at the ballot box should we need to.
"I had also directly seen the effects of de-industrialisation, which is what happens when you don't care where you source goods from as long as you get the cheapest price."
Find more information HERE.
Graham Reid | Green
"I would contend that by far the most important issue that needs to be dealt with by the next government is Climate Change and other damage to the environment such as plastic pollution, deforestation and overfishing.
"Nature provides us with everything we need yet we take it for granted. Our ignorant behaviour is now yielding consequences such as flooding, wildfires and mountains of waste.
"We need to alter our whole lifestyle so that it is sustainable. This will provide us with a sound basis from which we will be able to deal with our other problems."
Find more information HERE.
Lisa Smart | Liberal Democrats
"I live in Romiley with my partner Ed, and our rescue dog Bonnie. I care deeply about Hazel Grove Constituency and its people, volunteering locally as a trustee for the New Horizons Canal Boat for disabled people and their carers in Marple, for the Woodley & Romiley Towpath Team, and being a trustee of the Barrack Hill Education Trust.
"My successful campaigns include securing Specialist Status for Stepping Hill Hospital, saving the Rose Hill to Manchester rail service, and improving road safety across the borough with a campaign to get 20mph speed limits for residential roads. Current campaigns include an additional site for Stepping Hill Hospital, and to clean up local rivers such as the Goyt from the very high levels of sewage dumping.
"With only a five per cent swing needed to take the seat, I am the local candidate who can win the Hazel Grove constituency at the general election."
Find more information HERE.
Claire Vibert | Labour
Claire Vibert said: "I'm proud to be standing to be the MP for my home constituency. I live here, and my three children are growing up here. I want the best for our area, and know that the next Labour Government will deliver for families here.
"My priorities reflect the conversations I have on the doorstep every week: prioritising our public services, and making sure residents here see the benefit of Labour's plans to invest in our NHS, delivering 40,000 more evening and weekend appointments a week; and in our schools, with the recruitment of 6,500 new teachers.
"I'll protect our valuable green spaces, and prioritise safe and thriving communities. And I'll work with Andy Burnham to improve our public transport.
"I know voters in Hazel Grove are ready for a Labour government - and a Labour MP that can deliver."
Find more information HERE.
Stockport
Oliver Johnstone | Conservatives
"My local plan for Stockport is: to secure funding for a new hospital in Stockport town centre;
"To tackle crime & anti-social behaviour in key local hotspots;
"Building affordable homes in the right places, whilst preserving green space;
"Expanding access to affordable early years childcare;
"To extend Metrolink to Stockport & campaign for new bus routes;
"And to protect our local rivers and waterways like the Goyt, Tame and Mersey."
Find more information HERE.
Ayesha Khan | Workers Party
"I am committed to transformative policies. Born and raised in Stockport, and a law graduate from the University of Manchester, I aim to address the failures of the two-party system.
"My key policies include: Renationalising the NHS and significantly increasing its funding;
"Building affordable homes, financed by a one-off 5% wealth tax on estates valued over £10 million, generating a £17 billion windfall;
"Abolishing tuition fees and investing in high-quality vocational training;
"Renationalising energy, water, and transport to lower costs and ensure investment back into publicly-owned infrastructure, not shareholders' pockets;
"And opposing the genocide in Palestine and respecting international law."
Find more information HERE.
Wendy Meikle | Liberal Democrats
"As someone who was born and bred in Stockport and has been a Stockport councillor for 20 years, I know this town well and have determination and drive to successfully stand up for Stockport and its people in Parliament.
"My immediate priorities are: challenging for better funding for the NHS to rebuild our crumbling wards at Stepping Hill hospital [...] I am pressing for an NHS dental hospital in the town centre;
"[...] supporting our young people across the borough - I have successfully pressed for two schools affected by RAAC to be prioritised in the schools rebuilding programme.
"A return to community policing;
"The balance of preserving our precious green space and providing affordable homes is key - I am passionate about both;
"Utility companies must be held to account, no bonuses until the discharge of raw sewage into our rivers is stopped;
"Fair treatment for the WASPI women who have been cheated out of six years pension by this government and for home carers to be given a fair deal;
"Protected characteristics for our care-experienced young people in Stockport, [including] bus passes being extended until our care experienced young people reach 25 years of age.
"[And] for the Metrolink to be brought to Stockport."
Find more information HERE.
Helena Mellish | Green
"I'm excited to champion change as the Green Party's candidate for Stockport, my home.
"With schools and hospitals literally crumbling around us, we need to take back control of our resources, renationalise essential public services and invest in the technology and infrastructure that will fuel our futures.
"It's time for a green industrial revolution and we should be at the forefront of progress, true to our roots.
"We have everything we need to thrive - we just need representatives with real common sense, compassion and an integrated approach to finding solutions - and some accountability would be nice!
"That's my pledge to Stockport."
Find more information HERE.
Navendu Mishra | Labour
"I am dedicated to restoring our crumbling public services, tackling the housing crisis and improving pay and conditions at work.
"After fourteen years of Conservative chaos, only Labour will create a brighter future for Stockport and Britain.
"We will: tackle the cost-of-living crisis by delivering economic growth, improving workplace rights and ensuring that work pays enough to afford a high standard of living;
"Deliver the biggest boost to affordable housing in a generation;
"Renationalise rail, creating a service which puts passengers and our planet first;
"Rescue Stockport's NHS, cutting waiting lists and fixing the crisis in NHS dentistry;
"Reform childcare, early years support and deliver the highest standards in schools to ensure that every child can achieve their full potential."
Find more information HERE.
Lynn Schofield | Reform UK
Reform UK did not respond to our requests to speak to Lynn Schofield.
Reform UK recently released its election 'contract', the core pledges for which included: a freeze on non-essential migration; detaining and deporting migrants who arrive on small boats; zero NHS waiting lists; lifting the income tax starting threshold to £20,000; and scrapping energy levies and Net Zero.
Find more information HERE.
Ashley Walker | Stockport Fights Austerity - No to Cuts
"My name is Ashley Walker and I'm a working-class gay man born in Stockport. I'm a member of several local organisations working for equality and against austerity.
"As a working-class man born in Stockport, I have seen how austerity has destroyed, and is destroying, our schools, our health services, our youth services and so much more.
"My life has taught me how we live in a society that benefits the rich and powerful far more than it ever benefits the rest of us.
"We need to fundamentally change society so it works for everyone not just the rich and powerful!"
Find more information HERE.
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