Today we speak to our final two hopefuls in meet the candidate. The first is Solomon Curtis, who is standing in Brighton Pavilion for Labour.
What is the biggest single issue in the constituency you are standing in?
Housing is the single most important issue. Young people in particular cannot afford the high rents in the city or to get on to the housing ladder. The environment is also crucial to me. I was brought up an environmentalist and my mother was a leading campaigner in Sussex.
Do you believe that Brexit can bring about a positive change to Sussex?
Brexit poses huge challenges for Sussex and I don’t believe Theresa May can get the best deal. Our close proximity to the Continent increases Europe’s influence. Brighton relies on it as we’re closer to France than Bristol.
Therefore we have a huge number of visitors, including thousands of foreign language students and workers.
It’s also important that the rights of British workers, protected by European laws, are not sacrificed to Mrs May’s quest for a low tax, low skill Britain she hopes will replace our role in the EU.
Who will win this election?
This is one of the most unpredictable elections in living memory with the opinions polls showing Labour rapidly gaining on the Tories, so it’s a hard one to call. I will continue working every day right up to polling day to ensure Labour has a working majority and the only way to help achieve that is by making sure we have a Labour MP in Pavilion.
Who is your political hero and why?
I don’t have heroes as at the end of the day we’re all human. I do admire particular politicians though, especially Chuka Umunna and Clive Lewis, the MP for Norwich South, who have been an inspiration and guide to me as a young black man standing as a General Election candidate.
What has been the best moment you have had out campaigning?
Quite simply we’ve had an incredible reaction on the doorstep, but the best has to be a couple I called on in Hanover who were previously Labour voters and were just about to fill in their postal vote for the Greens. When they met me they said they’d changed their minds and filled it in before me. An incredible moment which shows how the tide is turning back to Labour in Pavilion.
Is this election necessary considering we already have a majority Government that was due to run until 2020?
We know Theresa May called this election because she has little confidence she can get the deal Britain needs when it leaves the EU, so on that level no it isn’t necessary. But people are also fed up with seven years of unnecessary austerity from this Government and it gives us a chance to put a radical alternative to the public. In Brighton people told us that’s what they wanted from the Labour Party. Now is their chance to vote for it.
Can voters be confident that our current system is the best way to select a government?
I’m in support of a more proportional voting system and will encourage the Labour Party to introduce this as Brighton Pavilion’s MP.
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