AS PREPARATIONS for the forthcoming general elections continue – the first for the new constituencies – the Liberal Democrats have announced their candidate for the Reading West and Mid Berkshire seat.
Helen Belcher, who grew up in Burghfield Common and was active in the Wokingham branch of the party before moving to Wiltshire, has been selected for the seat.
She joined the parliamentary candidates for Wokingham, Clive Jones, and Newbury, Lee Dillon, at a launch event held in Pangbourne on Friday, October 6.
All seats are target ‘blue wall’ seats for the party, which is eyeing up an increased number of MPs following byelection successes in similar seats.
Local party campaigners say the new seat, created by the Boundary Commission review, would be a two-horse race after the May local elections saw the Lib Dems increase the share of their vote in West Berkshire.
Ms Belcher was appointed OBE in the New Year’s Honours List in 2023, for services to the transgender community, and has represented the Liberal Democrats in elections in Berkshire and Wiltshire, and says she is “delighted to have this amazing opportunity”.
“I grew up in this constituency, so in many ways this is a homecoming for me,” she said in a statement.
“I’m delighted to have this amazing opportunity to represent this beautiful area.
“For too long people in our area have been abandoned by the Conservatives, with public services cut to the bone, threats to close our ticket offices, difficulty accessing timely healthcare, and sewage streaming into the Pang, the Kennet and the Thames.
“The people of Reading West and Mid Berkshire need a local champion who is vocal and visible, addressing the issues they care about – not more Conservative chaos, creating invisible enemies to distract from their many failures.”
And Cllr Lee Dillon, the Lib Dem candidate for Newbury and leader of West Berkshire Council, said: “The huge Liberal Democrat victories this May were a sign that Conservative dominance of Berkshire is coming to an end.
“Helen is a fantastic candidate and with her in place, all across central and West Berkshire, we can tell this appalling Conservative Government: enough is enough.”
The seat is a partial successor to the Reading West parliamentary seat. Its incumbent, Sir Alok Sharma, announced that he would not stand in the forthcoming contest meaning the Conservatives will need to find a new candidate.
There will also be seats for Reading and the new Earley and Woodley seat.
The general election must be held by January 2025, and is expected to be held in the autumn of 2024.
