The Green Party say the new Reading Central seat is ‘a two-horse race’ between themselves and Labour.
Their confidence comes from a steady build from seeing Cllr Rob White elected to Reqading Borough Council’s Park ward in 2010. Twelve years later, they overtook the Conservatives to become the main opposition party.
Among their councillors is Doug McElroy, who is their candidate for the new parliamentary seat. He was critical of Labour in the recent local elections:
He said: “The most scandalous bit about this is that one of the new Labour councillors is ex-Conservative mayor David Stevens, who was parachuted into a safe Labour seat (Abbey).
“Apparently, he had a sudden change of heart after the local Conservative Party refused to stand him as a candidate in 2022.
“Shocking, though not really, given that we’re seeing this all over the country, Natalie Elphicke (the former MP for Dover who joined Labour last month) being the worst example.”
At the time that he left the Conservative Party, Mr Stevens said that his values ‘closely aligned; with those of Labour councillors.
Cllr McElroy said: “I guess that’s the best way a Tory can keep power in Reading, by changing his spots. Either way, in my opinion, the Conservatives’ poor showing in the local election means they have zero chance of winning in Reading Central.”
The Greens feel the new Reading Central parliamentary constituency will be a contest will be between Labour and the Greens, something the polls don’t agree with.
According to YouGov Multilevel Regression and Post-stratification (MRP) poll, Labour is projected to get 58% of the vote in Reading Central, with the Conservatives trailing far behind in second with 20% and the Greens third with 9%.
However, the Greens maintain that they are the main contenders based on their strong showing in the local elections, with the 11 Reading Borough Council wards that make up Reading Central being won by either Labour or the Greens in 2024.
In the local elections, Labour won contests in Caversham, West Reading, the town centre and Whitley, with the Greens winning in Park, Redlands and Katesgrove wards.
Cllr McElroy added: “Across the whole of Reading Central the vote share makes it even more interesting, with Labour taking roughly 44% of votes in the local elections and the Greens taking 27%, ahead of the Conservatives on just 21%.”
A spokesperson for Labour’s candidate, Matt Rodda, said: “This election is a choice between more chaos and decline with the Conservatives, or a vote for change with Labour. Only Labour can deliver the change that Reading needs.”
Also standing in Reading Central are: Adam Gillman (Trade Union and Socialist Coalition), Dave McElroy (Green), Matt Rodda (Labour), Raj Singh (Conservatives), Michael Turberville (Independent), Andrew Williams (Reform UK), Henry Wright (Lib Dem).
