News | Elections


downsmail.co.uk Tories ‘virtually unbeatable’


MAIDSTONE MPs Helen Whately and Helen Grant are set to be returned to Westminster with virtually unassailable majorities, according to one respected polling service.


Electoral Calculus (EC) claims the members have actually increased their predicted majorities since the general electionwas called by Prime Minister Theresa May on April 18. The more interesting seat towatch


is the tussle between Mrs Grant and the Liberal Democrat Emily Fermor. Whilst the EC prediction gives


Mrs Grant a 52.6% majority and an 87% chance of winning, the pro- jected Lib Dem share has also in- creased by 3%. Mrs Grant said: “Of course, I am


taking nothing for granted and see it as a privilege to serve this fantas- tic patch.” She has been very vocal in con- demning the massive house-build- ing programme in the borough and the knock-on effects for the local roads. Her campaign to save the Maid-


stone barracks from closure and work on flood defences will almost certainly feature in her campaign lit- erature. Miss Fermor, who was selected


The race for No 10 is on


THE official flagwent down on the race for power at midnight on Fri- day, April 21 – the official start of the election period – with Parlia- ment being dissolved on May 3. This has allowed just over a


month of campaigning in the dash for the line in this snap election. In the meantime, issues like talks


with our EU neighbours will take a back seat. The serious talking will not resume until June, still leaving us on track to leave on Friday, March 29, 2019. Meanwhile, campaigners are


aware time is short, with nomina- tions from hopefuls needing to be lodged with returning officers, along with a £500 deposit, by May 11.


The tightness on time means the


main parties are also in a race to get candidates in place and some have streamlined their normal selection procedures, with more candidates being chosen centrally. Labour, the Conservatives, the


SNP and the Lib Dems all say they hope to have completed their selec- tions within the next week, while smaller parties and independents may take longer. As with all races, those taking


part have to prove they are going to stay the course and already, 12 Labour MPs, four Conservatives and one Lib Dem have said they will be standing down nationally.


18 Maidstone June 2017 MP Helen Grant and Liberal Democrat candidate Emily Fermor


several months ago, aged 23, as the Lib Dems sensed a snap election, has already won admirers. The Oxford history graduate,who attended Invicta Grammar School, will be attractive to younger voters and those who wished to remain in the EU at last year’s referendum. She said: “I get the impression that some voters feel they have not


been particularly well-represented atWestminster. “I have been pretty encouraged


by the fact that, out on the doorstep, people know I am Maidstone born and bred, went to Invicta and Boughton Monchelsea Primary School and have local interests at heart.” The Green Party has announced


Stuart Jeffery will stand againstMrs Grant. The Labour Party has re-adopted


Allen Simpson, although EC sees a drop of about 4% in support at the polling booths. In Mrs Whately’s Faversham and


Mid Kent constituency – whichwas formerly held by Sir Hugh Robert- son – her EC projected share of the poll has risen by almost 3% to 63.7%. It concludes this gives her a 95% chance of winning. Ukip is predicted to come in sec-


ond, but with a much reduced vote share, while the Lib Dems are the only other mainstream party likely to show an increase on June 8. Labour is predicted to see a 6% re- versal in its fortunes. Mrs Whately can expect a major-


ity well in excess of 20,000, making her seat – which is at risk under re- viewed boundary changes – among the very safest in the country. Mark McGiffin has been named as


the candidate to stand against Mrs Whately for Ukip.


THE CANDIDATES


MAIDSTONE AND THEWEALD Helen Grant (Conservatives) Emily Fermor (Liberal Democrats) Allen Simpson (Labour Party) Stuart Jeffery (Green Party) Yolande Kenward (Ind) PamWatts (Ukip)


FAVERSHAM &MID KENT Helen Whately (Conservatives) David Naghi (Liberal Democrats) Alasair Gould (Green Party) Mark McGiffin (UKIP) Michael Desmond (Labour Party)


Greens blast Lib Dems Spooner wins


GREEN Party candidate Stuart Jef- fery used his official candidacy an- nouncement to criticise the Liberal Democrats for not entering an anti- Tory alliance. MrJeffery (above),whowill stand


in the Maidstone & theWeald con- stituency, claims the Lib Dems “re- fused to talk” about an arrangement. He claims the Greens approached


local Lib Dems to discuss an elec- toral alliance to maximise the anti- Tory vote in Maidstone. NowMrJeffery,whohas done im- portant work in highlighting air pol- lution as a result of increased traffic in Maidstone, says he is “disgusted” at the Lib Dems’ refusal to negotiate. Mr Jeffery said: “Greens do poli-


tics differently. “Nationally, we approached Labour and Lib Dems to discuss an alliance which would have seen an end to Tory rule. Sadly, they refused. “Locally,we did the same to max-


imise the anti-Tory vote in this safe Conservative seat, but again the Lib Dems refuse to talk. “Frankly I'm disgusted with their attitude, it is almost as if they want to see the Tories stay in government. “I will continue to fight both for


the people in Maidstone and the en- vironment, and I will continue to do politics differently.” His LibDemopponent, Emily Fer-


mor, said: “Whilst I welcome sup- port from all sides, I don’t see the need for some sort of a coalition with the Greens. “The fact remains that the Liberal Democrats are the only credible al- ternative to defeat the Tory in this seat.” In the 2015 general election, the


Green Party polled fewer than 1,400 votes in the constituency but may have a small uplift this time, accord- ing to pollingwebsite, Electoral Cal- culus.


THE Tories romped home in the borough council by-election. Denis Spooner, previously the chairman of the Bearsted and Thurnham Society, received a mas- sive 73% of the of the 2,357 votes cast on May 4. Cllr Spooner polled 1,713. Labour’s Tim Licence came second with 253 while Liberal Democrat Karen Davis polled 250. Ciaran Oliver, for the Green Party, polled 141.


‘The best deal’ SITTING MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, Helen Whately, sees the general election as a way to strengthen Britain’s departure from the European Union. She said: “It’s a chance to strengthen (Theresa May’s) hand in Brexit negotiations and get the best deal for the country and for Kent.”


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