ONE of the youngest candidates in this election is Henry Wright, standing for the Liberal Democrats in Reading Central.
He joined the party four years ago, but his political roots go back much further.
“When I was at school, there was a proposed change to our classes which meant people weren’t with their friends,” he recalls. “I formed a petition and got everyone in the year group to sign it.
“Although it didn’t quite make the stand against authority you might have seen in the films, we did manage to get them to pay attention to us.”
Born in the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Henry is a local man, returning after university and a spell in London.
“I always felt I needed to come back to Reading. It is a wonderful town, with wonderful people. It’s a pleasure to call it home,” he says.
At university, he read computer science, and it was here that his political antenna was tuned: “I joined a political society, and (the Lib Dems) sense of freedom and standing up for basic rights really attracted me. The Liberal Democrats have a history of over 150 years, if you count the Liberals before us, of standing up for freedom for all.
“Our party constitution starts with ‘nobody shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity’. I love that line because it gets to the heat of giving people the freedom to live their lives how they want and not the state telling them, but also not being left to fend for themselves. It’s allowing people to meet their full potential.
“I was never going to join the Conservatives. I’ve always stood sort of left-wing economically, but strongly liberal. For a while, I was trying to find my place politically and I found that what mattered to me, but what comes first is those liberal values of giving people freedom to live their lives how they want.”
Those include freedom of movement with the European Union, trans rights, same-sex marriage.
“That’s one approach Labour doesn’t take, and the Conservatives, as I’ve seen, don’t stand up for the poorest in our society. That’s why I joined the Lib Dems, to free people from those sorts of circumstances.”
At university, he stood as a candidate for the Lib Dems on Cambridge City Council. It was a transformative experience for him.
“They said all I needed to do was come in and sign some paperwork, but the experience I really enjoyed was knocking on doors and saying to be people I could be your representative. That’s proper democracy, being able to say to people you’re not being represented through this or that policy.
“At the time, it was things like taking away mobility scooters for older people in the city centre – local politics is really important.”
Henry continues: “That led to me being selected for Reading Central. I thought it would be good to stand for Liberal values in Reading, especially against a Labour party that doesn’t want to stand up for those at the election.”
With opinion polling data suggesting the Reading Central seat will be won by Labour, is Henry on a hiding to nothing by standing in an unwinnable seat?
“I don’t think it ever is in a democracy,” he says. “I’ve knocked on hundreds of doors already and when I talk to people, they are enthused at having a choice in this election.
“The new seat is very different to the old Reading East and Reading West, there is no need to vote tactically. People feel they are quite free in their choice.
“It will be a hard fight for us, but we are fighting for our values, and we have lots where we differ from Labour: the two-child benefit cap, Europe, basic rights and freedoms, our approach to immigration and asylum.
“It’s in those areas where those Liberal values will shine through. We need somebody who will stand up for that.”
And on the doorsteps, he says he is hearing three “core things”: the cost of living, housing and the NHS.
“Forty per cent of people’s disposable income in Reading goes on housing costs,” he says.
“I work for the NHS; I know we need to really protect and save it. People know they can’t always get a GP appointment; we need 8,000 more them.
“And on the environment, things like sewage, our message is really strong on that. We want to make water companies pay for their mistakes. We have Thames Water’s headquarters in the constituency, and that resonates.
“Many voters, especially Labour ones, say they want somebody to stand up for Europe. They want someone to stand up on benefits and welfare, the two-child benefit cap, the bedroom tax. We’re committed to scrapping that.
“Voters are telling me they are glad to have a choice – and a Liberal choice at that.”
In 2019, the party committed to rejoining the EU and cancelling Brexit. This time round they are pledging to rejoin the single market. Is Europe coming up much on the doorsteps?
Henry says it has, which is unsurprising given the town voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum. He points out in the 2019 European elections, Reading also voted Lib Dem above the other parties.
“It’s clear we are a town still thinking about and seeing the damage that has been done by Brexit and people are thankful there is a party willing to speak up about it,” he says. “It is coming up on the doorsteps, but not as much as things like the cost of living and the NHS.”
Henry says he is angry with the way the Conservatives have run the country over the past 14 years, citing issues such as cutting local authority funding, which in turn puts pressure on councils to provide “the very basic things people need”.
“A huge amount of a council’s budget is going on providing adult social care, but it’s not enough to keep people out of going into hospital,” he says. “We have this sort-of system where people can’t afford care, they don’t get the care they need, which is degrading for them, and they end up in hospital as well, which means our hospitals are having to cope with more and more people who shouldn’t be there.
“The Liberal Democrats at this election are saying this is one of the big things we need to sort out.
“I think that sums up the difference in our approaches. We are a party who really values care, both carers and social care, but are also, in general, against the sort-of Conservative approach which seems to be just arguing with Labour, rather than setting forward a positive view of what they think.”
Ed Davey has visited the Royal Berkshire Hospital several times to shore up the party’s message. Is Henry pleased the party is taking the Reading area seriously?
“I am,” he says. “I’m really glad we’ve got other Liberal Democrats like Clive Jones in Wokingham who are standing up for the Royal Berks. Having Ed Davey bring national attention is certainly helpful.
“I want to see the hospital rebuilt quicker. We know the Conservatives have dillied and dallied on its new hospitals programme. The site is looking more and more tired.
“I live near the hospital, and I can see there are huge parts of the building with boarded up windows; Clive has talked about things dripping through the roof and stuff like that. It’s not good enough for the NHS staff, it’s not good enough for their patients.”
Henry is grateful for the team that are working to get him elected in Reading Central, and cites it as a reason for why he belongs.
“The Liberal Democrats as a party are an incredibly friendly bunch and I’ve enjoyed every second of it,” he explains. “I’ve had help from people across the town and our councillors in Tilehurst.
“It’s been a pleasure to be part of that team … it’s one of the best bits in politics.”
That support is essential as he is in full-time work and having to fit canvassing around his job.
“It can be hard but thank goodness for the long evenings because I’m able to get out in sunshine and rain to talk to people.
“People are really friendly, and I get a lot of energy from door knocking. People tell me their problems, their beliefs, their views.
“I’ve never had a bad experience on the doors, and that gives me faith in humanity more than anything.”
Henry continues: “I think the picture that gets painted sometimes is a Britain in decline, and I don’t see it like that. There are things we can improve, and I have hope.
“Knocking on those doors after a long day at work gives me energy to go out, fight and campaign.”
If there is a Liberal Democrat victory in Reading Central on July 5, what does Henry think would have won it for his party?
“We’ve been saying throughout we want a fair deal. I think what will have won it for us in Reading Central will be that proud Liberal vision of standing up for the poorest in our society.
“That will be my absolute priority if I am elected. Our manifesto says we want to get ride of absolute poverty within 10 years. I want to see how quickly we can do it.
“I find it galling that in Reading, a town with so much wealth, we have people who society has let down. We want a positive vision that says nobody in our society will have a life where they can’t live to the best of their potential.
“That is the Lib Dem message, and that is what I want.”
