A READING born and bred man has been selected by the Liberal Democrats to take on one of Reading’s new parliamentary seats in the forthcoming general election.
Henry Wright will take on the Reading Central seat, which is expected to be defended by current Reading East MP Matt Rodda.
The seat has been created by changes to the constituencies following a review by the Boundary Commission.
The Conservatives have yet to select their candidate, while Dave McElroy will stand for the Greens and Reform UK have selected Vincent Ruane.
Mr Wright stood for the Lib Dems in Park ward in last year’s local elections, and said he was ‘incredibly proud’ to be selected as the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for the general election which is expected to be called later this year.
He grew up in Spencers Wood, attended Lambs Lane Primary School and went to the Willink for secondary school, returning to the town after university. He now works for the NHS.
“This is an area I was born in, I was raised in, I’ve grown up in, and I continue to live in,” he said. “I think there is a real opportunity here for a Liberal candidate and a Liberal voice, to protect our NHS, to tackle the cost of living and to protect our precious environment.
“I want Reading to be the best possible place to live in the UK.”
And taking on Mr Rodda will be quite the fight, not least the Lib Dems have come third in recent polls. Is he looking forward to the contest?
“I relish it,” he said. “It’s clear the Conservatives are a failed choice; we all know that.
“It’s clear to me that Labour are also a failed choice. Look at Keir Starmer in the Labour Party: what they are offering is fundamentally not that different to Rishi Sunak’s Conseravtives. I think the Liberal Democrats will offer a different voice – a Liberal voice at the upcoming election. I relish that challenge.”
