KMTV's Gillingham and Rainham Hustings - 17th June 2024
Hear from candidates standing in the general election, hosted by Matt Ramsden.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome back to KMTV's Medway Election Hustings, brought to you by KM Media Group,
00:15Universities at Medway and supported by our event partner Maxim. I am Matt Ramson and
00:19tonight I will be joined by candidates standing in the Gillingham and Raynham constituency.
00:25In the unlikely event of a fire, your exits are the two doors at the back of the room
00:29or behind me. The door over there will take you straight out, so if it bursts into flames,
00:35there's your door. Here with me tonight are Stuart Bourne from the Liberal Democrats,
00:42Kate Belmond from the Green Party, Nishabh Khan from Labour and Rizvi Raghuram from Reform.
00:50Raymond Chistie from the Conservative Party was invited but he chose not to attend.
00:57We decided on drawing lots to see who would go first with a 90-second statement on what
01:02they would offer as the MP for Gillingham and Raynham and Nishabh, you were drawn out first.
01:07I thought I might have drawn the lot, but no, it's fine.
01:10So where do you go?
01:11Well, thank you very much for having me here tonight and thank you for hosting the Hustings.
01:16I think we are in a really interesting place as a country when it comes to our elections
01:20and this election is going to be really important for everybody that's involved, but I think
01:25it's also against the context where there's huge challenges in our country and across
01:29our world and at times like that, I think people lean into politics of division and
01:34they lean into the politics of making promises they won't be able to keep and actually what
01:40I hear time and time again is that people want stability, they want the country to turn
01:43a corner and they want someone they can trust in charge and that's what Labour is offering.
01:49For myself personally, I've been at Gillingham Council for a number of years and I've been
01:52working hard in our communities, whether that's tackling homelessness or looking at
01:55our town centre, but I know there's a lot more to do and I know that what we really
01:59need is for Westminster to be answering the questions of what's happening on the ground
02:03and what's happening in our communities and if I'm elected, that's what I will do.
02:07Thank you very much.
02:08Rizvi?
02:09Thank you for inviting me.
02:11In fact, it's a great opportunity to come and talk to the audience.
02:18In fact, I would like to mention for the last two decades, going straight to the topic,
02:23successive governments, both Labour and Conservatives, have really failed to grow the economy of
02:28Britain, mainly due to the influx of immigrants entering our shores illegally.
02:35Further, the government's turning a blind eye for people who come in.
02:39In fact, if you and I want to go to Africa for some reason, we have to apply for a visa
02:44and wait for a week sometimes and then only then we get the opportunity of going there.
02:50But here, thousands are coming, I don't know how 1.5 million were allowed to come inside
02:56to the country without any visa, without any passport, without any ID.
03:00So this is really ridiculous and that has actually made problems for our unemployment,
03:07crime, housing issues, NHS, long waiting lists, one of the reasons due to that, 1.5 million
03:14people have to go to hospitals at some time or the other, and also at the expense of our
03:20taxpayers.
03:21So Reform UK will freeze non-essential immigrants.
03:26That is what I am not blaming anybody, I'm trying to say what we are going to do, and
03:31that we are going to freeze non-essential immigrants.
03:34Smart immigration.
03:35In fact, today...
03:36I think you're in danger of going over your 90 seconds here.
03:39Sorry?
03:40I think you're in danger of going over your 90 seconds.
03:41OK.
03:42OK.
03:43Done.
03:44OK.
03:45Thank you.
03:46Kate?
03:47Hello, everyone.
03:48Kate Belmonte from the Green Party.
03:50I certainly never thought that I would even join the Green Party, and here I am and I'm
03:54standing for them, because they are the only party that truly understand the threat to
03:59life on Earth that the climate and the biodiversity crisis has.
04:04And if you are concerned about immigration, I can guarantee you one thing.
04:07There will be billions of people unable to live around the planet because of heat, because
04:12of floods and droughts.
04:14So we are standing because we can see those connections.
04:17We want to make this country better, we want to make this country richer, and we want to
04:22make the people that have got the most, pay the most.
04:26Because at the end of the day, the working class have been struggling for years, and
04:30we are not seeing the investment that we need in our NHS, our education, and in our communities.
04:37OK.
04:38Thank you, Kate.
04:39Stuart?
04:40Hi.
04:41I'm Stuart, a candidate for the Liberal Democrats.
04:44I was born in Medway, I was born in All Saints Hospital in Chatham.
04:48My dad was an apprentice at the dockyard, and my mum was a housewife, did a few odd
04:52jobs to top up the wages.
04:54I'm a professional gardener, up to 2019 I was working at Buckingham Palace as a senior
05:01gardener.
05:02But in 2019 I quit to look after my two adorable children as a stay-at-home dad, and at the
05:08moment I'm a part-time worker for a charity in Maidstone that coordinates volunteers
05:13to clean up green spaces around the town centre.
05:16I'm standing because I can't help but look around our towns and see the examples of neglect
05:23and our towns being ignored, whether it's sewage in the rivers, or it's potholes in
05:28our roads, or massive waiting lists at Medway Hospital, or our schools desperate for money.
05:34I believe our country has been neglected.
05:38I see people, working people, paying their bills, trying to raise a family, trying to
05:46care and look after one another.
05:49I think they deserve a fair deal.
05:51So I'm standing for them, and I would like people to know that every vote for the Liberal
05:57Democrats is a vote for a local champion who cares about the community.
06:04Thank you very much Stuart.
06:05Okay, we're going to go ahead with some questions that we got from our readers and listeners
06:09at the KM group and KMFM and KMTV.
06:13If anyone's got a question in the audience that they'd like to pose one of the panellists,
06:17then please put your hand up and one of my colleagues will get you and you'll have your
06:21chance to quiz them.
06:23So first up is a question about Medway Maritime Hospital.
06:29Hardly a week goes by in our newsroom when we're not contacted by somebody who's had
06:33a problem with the hospital in some sense or another.
06:37What do you think are the biggest issues facing Medway Maritime, and what realistically needs
06:42to be done to alleviate these problems, bearing in mind there's not going to be a lot of money
06:46left to do so.
06:47Can I start with you Stuart, please?
06:48Yeah, I mean I completely agree with you.
06:50I had a personal friend who went up, took their 80 year old mother up there in 2019
06:56in December, and that mother stayed two days in the corridor.
07:01Two days.
07:02And that's not actually, it's got a lot worse since then.
07:06And you can blame a lot of things, but we think there's just two main issues you can
07:10look on.
07:11First of all, it's not many people talk about it, it's a broken social care we've got in
07:13our country.
07:14Too many elderly people haven't got the supports that mean that they can get out of hospital
07:18and back in their own homes.
07:20There's not enough social care money in there.
07:22Second of all, people are not getting the GP appointments that they need, and so they're
07:27forced to go to NA, they're forced to go into our hospitals when they don't need to.
07:30So we've got two plans.
07:31We're going to reform social care and increase wages hourly rate by £2 for all the social
07:37care workers, which will encourage a lot of local people to become social care workers,
07:42working in social care.
07:43So we don't need necessarily so many immigration people coming in.
07:47But also we're going to get 8,000 more GPs into the system.
07:52Two pronged, one of them is to recruit 4,000 and the other one is to retain it.
07:57And we're going to all pay for this with a £9 billion cash investment into the NHS,
08:01paid for by reforming capital gains tax and also cutting the bank levy that the Tories
08:06changed.
08:07We think the banks are doing absolutely fine on their own, they don't need £4 billion.
08:11Thank you.
08:12Kate.
08:13Well, I have many disabilities.
08:18I've been a patient up at Medway since about the age of 13, and I've seen the NHS change
08:23over that time under various departments.
08:26The people have always been and continue to be amazing.
08:29But the reality is that this government, and to some respect the Labour government before
08:36and going forward, are privatising the NHS.
08:39And we have been pushing for the NHS reinstatement bill through Caroline Lucas, our MP, and we
08:45are hoping to get four more MPs to then push that forward, possibly five if I impress you
08:50tonight.
08:51But the reality is that the NHS has been deliberately underfunded.
08:55We have been privatised, and we are going to continue to be privatised, so we want to
08:59bring that bill in, we want to take the doctors and give them the fair pay, because the reality
09:05is that if they are offered the money to work for the NHS or private, I can't judge someone
09:10for taking more money to work privately.
09:12An example, I went to have my coccyx injected, which is quite a regular thing for me, and
09:17they were nurses on staff, and one of them was basically there through a recruitment
09:25firm.
09:26And they were getting four pounds more per hour than the other staff.
09:30And the staff knew that, but they worked professionally to deliver the service to everybody.
09:35So I think the NHS has been taken the mick out of.
09:37I think if we stay under Labour, the funding they've put into their manifesto is simply
09:42not enough to even maintain current wages.
09:45I think it's the Nuffield Trust that have actually written about that today.
09:49So we would invest heavily in the NHS, and we would use a 1% and 2% tax on the wealthiest
09:55in this country, over 10 million and over a billion, to actually pay for that.
10:00Okay, thank you.
10:02Okay, Ms Sharma.
10:05So I think every one of us probably in this room has a story about the NHS, and for me,
10:10for my family, it's meant a great deal, whether that was my grandma when she was in hospital,
10:13or my dad when he was sick with cancer, and people work incredibly hard.
10:17But actually, I've seen it change, and I disagree with Kate, because under Labour governments,
10:21the NHS was functioning.
10:22You were able to get a GP appointment, you were able to get seen on a waiting list, and
10:27what the Tories have done over the years have taken it onto its knees, and then COVID helped
10:32to put it flat on its face.
10:33And that's what we're dealing with now.
10:35So actually, there is a huge amount of transformation that is needed, and I find it quite frustrating
10:40when a local MP campaigns for a new hospital, because he's had 14 years to deliver it,
10:44and yet at this point in time, what we desperately need is to be able to turn our hospital around
10:49so that it can work for people in the area.
10:51Now, lots has happened there, and I just want to take it down to a local level, because
10:55Labour are saying, in terms of what we will do for the NHS, it's pretty extensive, and
10:58I agree with what Stuart was saying earlier around a national care service, and that's
11:02what we need to take forward, because in the longer term, that's how you create that longevity.
11:07And it was Labour that set up the National Health Service, so to champion a national
11:10care service is absolutely where we need to be.
11:13But in the short term, we've got to do some immediate things, so more doctors and nurses
11:17are part of that, and more training opportunities for people who want to become doctors and
11:20nurses in this country.
11:22I've had so many friends who wanted to become midwives who were told, actually, it's just
11:26too expensive to do it, the training opportunities weren't there, and then we have to rely on
11:30migration to bring midwives into this country.
11:32It just doesn't work as a system.
11:34At Medway, I was speaking to a doctor in A&E who said, do you know what I do?
11:38During my time off, I work here in A&E, work really long hours, and when I have a holiday,
11:43I come back and work in the same hospital on my holiday as a locum, and it costs the
11:47NHS so much more.
11:49And these are the challenges that we are facing, that the Tories haven't dealt with, that we
11:52do need to look at.
11:53When we talk about money, what's happening there?
11:56At a local level, I think Medway Hospital and the council could work together in lots
12:01of ways, and this is something that I think any MP who's elected should be doing as well,
12:05to see how we can attract more people who are doctors and nurses to want to come and
12:08live in Medway, stay in Medway, and work in our hospitals, and so we can work with the
12:12universities as well, which I know is already happening, but to ensure that link stays across
12:17the piece so that we're feeding people straight into healthcare systems.
12:20Okay, thank you.
12:21Okay, Bruce Lee, just to remind you of the question, what are the biggest issues facing
12:27Medway Maritime, and what would you do about it if you were in government?
12:31Yeah, actually starting from the GP surgeries, today we can't go and get an appointment with
12:37the GP because the GP are not there.
12:42Only they come twice a week or so in my surgery, I'm signed to.
12:48So what happens is I go and see the nurse instead of the GP.
12:52So nurse gives the treatment, nurse gives the prescription, so this is one point.
12:58The other thing is, the Medway hospital, there's a shortage of doctors, obviously, and crowd
13:04is so much, you have to wait sometimes three, four hours in the A&E to see a doctor there.
13:11And then, so what we are trying to do is, as Reform UK, we want to support the students
13:22first, to give more incentive for them to study.
13:27By the way, we will be writing off their loan interest, so interest-free loan.
13:38And then, the loans taken already, we'll give 10 years pro-rata basis to deduct their payback.
13:49And we will incentivise who can afford to pay more.
13:52This will improve care for all, as pressure on the NHS significantly will be reduced.
13:58And also, we'll give vouchers for people who can't see the GP for more than three days.
14:04And just one more thing.
14:06Thank you.
14:07We're going to move on to another question, but just a reminder, if anyone's got any questions
14:10in the audience, this gentleman here has.
14:13We've got just one question here from Mike.
14:16We'll come to this one first.
14:17Okay, Mike.
14:19Yes, good evening.
14:20Thank you for allowing me to speak.
14:21I'd like to put my question to all the candidates and ask, what would they do to help expose
14:30corruption within Kent Police and Medway Council?
14:36That's it, basically.
14:38Okay.
14:39Okay.
14:40We'll start with Kate on that one.
14:44So within our manifesto, it talks about the involvement of community, and specifically
14:50in terms of Kent Policing and the role of the commissioner.
14:55And I think the reality is that in order to get rid of corruption, everything needs to
14:59be transparent.
15:00So that means having all meetings available for the public and having independent auditors
15:07to go through to uncover anything that may or may not have happened, and then go through
15:12the court's process in order to actually have that taken to fruition if there is indeed
15:17proven corruption.
15:18I'm not saying there is or there isn't, because I'm not deeply involved in either of those
15:23elements.
15:24But I know that there's a lot of suspicion within the community, especially around development
15:29and brown envelopes passing.
15:31But at the same time, this is something that has happened in the past.
15:35It doesn't necessarily mean it's happening now.
15:37I think you need to look at where the political parties get their money from.
15:42And one of the things that we want to do with the commission, Electoral Commission, is to
15:46actually make sure that that is fully accessible to the public, and that the commissioner and
15:52the Electoral Commission have the power to then take that to the police and prosecute.
15:57Thank you.
15:58Thank you.
15:59Aisha?
16:00I mean, I'm a councillor at Medway, so I can definitely say I've never touched a brown
16:02paper.
16:03No, I wouldn't have thought you would.
16:04But I think, and I don't know what that question is specifically referring to with those two
16:08institutions, but I think we absolutely need to have transparent, clean, and clear politics.
16:12And that's something that this previous government hasn't done.
16:15You know, contracts and PPE to their mates, some of the things that we've seen happen
16:18in Westminster.
16:19It's disgusting and shouldn't be happening in this country whatsoever.
16:22The one thing I'm absolutely sure about is that the Labour Party are very clear about
16:26having transparent and clear politics, and that's something that I do agree with you
16:29on, Kate.
16:30I think some of this is about the transparency of how decisions are made and what happens.
16:34And I know that's something that the leader of Medway Council is also very keen to do.
16:37So it is about keeping engaged, keeping open, showing how decisions are taken, and being
16:42really clear about not just giving contracts to your mates, which is what we've seen in
16:46some of our politics and has to stop.
16:48Thank you.
16:49Krishi?
16:50Yes, the gentleman's query about corruption, he has explained to me previously.
16:55In fact, he was a bit worried about tending that situation, to address the situation,
17:02because he has some political pressure against him, which is not fair.
17:05So there should be transparency and there should be truthfulness in whatever we do.
17:10That's about all, I would say.
17:12Okay, thank you.
17:13Stuart?
17:14Yeah, I think there's kind of always been a danger when you put politics and policing
17:18together.
17:19We've seen that in Tories' attitude of the pressure they put on the Met sometimes to
17:24police some protests but not other protests.
17:27But I think what the key message I would say to you is the Liberal Democrats want to take
17:32politics out of policing by getting rid of the pointless police commissioner post.
17:37I mean, we all voted this in May.
17:39Well, not one of us, because it was only a 20% turnout.
17:41Some people voted on it.
17:43£50 million was spent on the 2016 PCC elections.
17:50£100 million was spent between 2019 and today on the administration of PCCs.
17:56We do not think that's money well spent.
17:58That's money that could be put back into policing.
18:01We think that the police boards that we used to have were perfectly acceptable ways to
18:06govern policing.
18:07So we want to take that money out, take the politics out of policing and make policing
18:11properly independent.
18:12Thank you.
18:13Thank you.
18:14We'll come back to you in a second.
18:16Okay.
18:17We'll come back to you in a second.
18:19We'll come back to you in a second, yeah.
18:21Okay, another question from our readers.
18:24Driving in Raynham is a nightmare.
18:26I think everybody can acknowledge that.
18:28But is the new red route scheme a way of tackling congestion, or is it just another money-making scheme?
18:34Nushabha.
18:35You can say first on that.
18:37So I think, first of all, yes, I agree, driving in Raynham is a nightmare, and particularly
18:42on the A2.
18:43And I think there's a few things that have led to that.
18:45So most recently, obviously, there was the closure of the M2 junction, which didn't help
18:48the situation.
18:49I think there are pressures from development in the area.
18:51So we've seen piecemeal development come forward in Raynham.
18:55And that has led to, essentially, quite a lot of pressure on two routes, which go through
18:59the area, which is the lower Raynham Road and, obviously, A2.
19:02And that does put an extensive amount of pressure on.
19:05The red route scheme is one way to deal with congestion, but it's very, very early days.
19:09So we're having to, you know, it's only just been introduced, and we'll have to look in
19:13a very longer term in terms of the impact it has.
19:16But what it means is, where we had existing yellow lines, those existing yellow lines
19:22where you weren't meant to be stopping anyway and creating problems on roads, those are
19:26now red routes.
19:27And actually, we've seen other parts of Medway, and some people have contacted saying, we
19:32would like to see a red route in our area, because there is so much parking on double
19:36yellow lines, and it creates all of that pressure and traffic issues.
19:39So I think we have to keep monitoring the position to see the longer term value of it.
19:44But the other thing that it also does is look at air quality.
19:46And air quality is some of the worst in Gillingham and Raynham, and particularly along there.
19:51So we've got to come up with measures to tackle that.
19:53Now, I don't think that red routes are the only answer to that, and we'll have to see
19:56the impact they have.
19:57But there's certainly one recommended measure that has come forward.
20:00We'll have to look at other ways to improve air quality in that part, and also decrease
20:05congestion.
20:06But, you know, I think it's a measure, a tool, and it will potentially have a useful impact
20:11over time.
20:12Thanks.
20:13Stuart?
20:14I think the danger was the red routes were initially marketed as the solution to congestion
20:19in Raynham, and it's not.
20:21I mean, anybody who drives along the A2, along Raynham, knows that with the Mears Court Junction
20:24the way it is, you're never going to get traffic flow going.
20:27But that's going to take millions of pounds of investment.
20:30So it'll be interesting to see if the Tory councillors and the Tory MPs stop wasting their
20:34time shouting about red routes and actually focus on investment in our roads.
20:37That'd be better.
20:38But on the specificness on the red routes, I personally was supportive of them.
20:43They're not the perfect solution, not the final solution.
20:45I cross that A2 to take my kids to school every day.
20:50I cross that road two or three times every day.
20:52And I've seen hundreds of people parked outside the costa and the banks popping in.
20:57I've also seen ambulances being stopped and slowed down because the A2 is a major route
21:02for ambulances travelling from Medway Hospital to Sittingbourne.
21:05If a red route means that an ambulance saves three, four seconds of travelling time, so
21:11an ambulance can get to someone with a stroke or a heart attack, that's the difference between
21:14life and death to a lot of people.
21:16So, OK, they're not the perfect solution.
21:18They're not the only solution.
21:19But we should realise that they do have an ability to save lives.
21:23Thank you.
21:24Prasveen?
21:25Yeah, in addition to what the gentleman said very rightly, in fact, more than the red route,
21:30there are not potholes in the road, there are craters which have not been addressed to.
21:35So that also adds to the traffic.
21:38So whether it's a red route or not a red route, the traffic will be there unless the craters
21:43are filled up properly and repaired.
21:47Kate?
21:48I think one of the biggest issues with the red route, especially in Reynham, is that
21:51the community was asked for their opinions.
21:54They requested data which was not available and a decision was made.
21:59Basically based on a pre-determined decision, I know that there are complaints going through
22:04at the moment regarding that.
22:06But whether they work or not will remain to be seen.
22:10I personally think that the investment of £860,000 plus an ongoing cost each year will
22:17really was a lot more money than what's been promised in terms of congestion and removing
22:24the amount of traffic in Reynham.
22:25Because the reality is that even if every car becomes electric, we are still going to
22:29be stuck in traffic on red routes or off red routes.
22:32There are far better roads that red routes could have been applied to.
22:36In Reynham, I mean if you do have a Costa Coffee outside and sit there, that is the
22:40most air polluted place in Reynham to sit, arguably in Medway.
22:45And we are not seeing a reduction in the number of cars.
22:48And that money, in my opinion, as a Green, should have been spent in upgrading and improving
22:53public transport and encouraging...
22:56You couldn't use capital money on public transport.
23:00Well then it shouldn't have been spent on that.
23:02But over time it will pay itself back.
23:04But if it works, it won't.
23:06But you couldn't have used that money.
23:08But if it works, it won't make money.
23:10So do you want it to work or do you not want it to work?
23:14It needs to work to stop congestion and air quality, as you've just picked up.
23:16It doesn't affect air quality though.
23:18We can do it over a longer period of time, but it's not the only solution, that's what we're saying.
23:22Well I've not seen one less car driving through Reynham.
23:24It's very early days at the moment, so it's only just been introduced.
23:27Can I just say, you're right, I have not seen less cars, but I've definitely not seen cars
23:33parked up on Double Elephant.
23:35Good, okay, thank you.
23:37Abi, we have some more questions.
23:39Okay, I think we've got Marcus in the front row here that's got a question.
23:42Just really wanted to check with you briefly.
23:44I hope I've pronounced your name correctly.
23:46Were you saying that you felt that people should be paying for National Health Service?
23:51Sorry, I didn't get that.
23:53When you were talking about Medway Maritime Hospital, I thought you said that people who could afford to pay
23:59should pay for their health service.
24:01Did I hear you correctly?
24:03No.
24:05What I said was, that was actually today's contract.
24:11I just got a brief of that because I couldn't go through the whole contract,
24:15our reform contract, which will launch today at one o'clock.
24:18What I mentioned was,
24:22we will incentivise people who can afford to pay more.
24:26What does that mean?
24:28Yes, this will improve care for all, especially on the NHS, significantly reduced.
24:32That means to pay for your NHS?
24:34That's what I mentioned.
24:36Correct me if I'm wrong.
24:39Are you advocating a dual health service?
24:41As your colleagues behind us say.
24:43No.
24:45Basically, it's just...
24:47Sorry.
24:49Let the candidate answer the question, please.
24:55Sorry, you've got your mates here answering for you.
24:58Are you advocating for a dual health service?
25:02What's happening here is the government will pay to the private sector.
25:08But the patient won't have any extra cost to pay.
25:13It's free for the patient.
25:15So what's the incentivisation?
25:17Because if there's too much congestion in the main hospital,
25:21they can do it in the private sector through the government.
25:25And who would pay for that treatment?
25:27The government will bear the cost.
25:29The government would pay about ten times the price to provide the service.
25:33So you believe in a privatised health service?
25:35Sorry?
25:38Shush!
25:42Privatised health service.
25:44Absolutely.
25:46But it's free for the patient.
25:48But it would cost the taxpayer huge amounts of money.
25:50Otherwise the patient has to wait for months and months.
25:52Right.
25:54So you wouldn't invest in the NHS so that the waiting list could be brought down.
25:56You would pay privately for that work to be undertaken.
26:00A cancer patient, for example, can't wait for ten months or two years.
26:04It has to be attended.
26:07The government will pay for that.
26:09Not the patient.
26:11The government will pay private healthcare.
26:13We'll move on.
26:15Thank you very much.
26:17So we've got some questions here from people who've messaged in.
26:21We've got a message from someone called Jessica Lischikinoff.
26:25I hope I've pronounced that correctly.
26:27I apologise if I don't.
26:29Is Jessica here?
26:31She's here.
26:33Would you like to ask the question yourself, Jessica?
26:35Would you like me to ask it?
26:37OK.
26:39So if elected, will you commit to and advocate for an immediate permanent ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza
26:45and an end to UK arms licences and arms trading with Israel?
26:49Stuart.
26:51Sorry, did you want to ask?
26:53I think she wanted to ask.
26:55Sorry.
26:57My earphone is playing.
26:59Can I have an earphone?
27:01It might help me.
27:04I don't want to hear my own voice sometimes.
27:12OK.
27:14Your question here.
27:16Thank you.
27:18There's a slight variation on this question.
27:20But I hope you're OK for that.
27:22So I'm a member of Na'amod,
27:24which is a movement of UK Jews
27:26who've been campaigning against
27:28Israel's occupation and apartheid.
27:31Since the 7th of October,
27:33we've been demanding
27:35not only a permanent ceasefire and hostage deal,
27:37but an end to the political cover
27:39and material support for Israel
27:41that allows it to continue to oppress Palestinians
27:43with impunity.
27:45And we're calling on all candidates
27:47to put Palestine on the agenda
27:49in this election.
27:51And so, over the last eight months,
27:53as the Israeli government has committed
27:55a series of horrific war crimes in Gaza,
27:57the sale of arms licences
27:59to Israel from the UK
28:01has been heavily criticised.
28:03If you get into power,
28:05will you and your party ensure
28:07an immediate end of arms licences to Israel?
28:09OK.
28:11Thank you.
28:13OK, Stuart, would you go first, please?
28:15That's a very important question.
28:17I mean, anybody who's been watching the news
28:19recently, or even the last...
28:21Oh, God, it's been a year now almost, isn't it?
28:23I've seen the devastation
28:25on the poor people of Palestine
28:28and, of course, Israel.
28:30I mean, we have to forget that.
28:32100% agree with you.
28:34I'm proud of my party.
28:36It was the first party to be calling
28:38for a bilateral ceasefire.
28:40Leila Moran, who's the only MP
28:42with Palestinian descent,
28:44has been leading this.
28:46She was literally live explaining
28:48her family that were under siege,
28:50Christians in Palestine.
28:52And she's been out there.
28:54David's been out there talking to both sides.
28:56Israelis want peace.
28:58The Palestinians want peace.
29:00But both of them are in control
29:02of an...
29:04I can only describe it as
29:06a militant government
29:08on both sides, both Hamas
29:10and the Israeli government.
29:12And we need to remember and sort of split those off
29:14and remember that the people of Palestine
29:16and the people of Israel want peace as much.
29:18So, yes, 100% my party
29:20has always said
29:22to cease arms for Israel during this conflict
29:25and immediately call for a bilateral ceasefire
29:27so both hostages can be freed
29:29and a lasting two-state solution
29:31can be agreed and negotiated.
29:33Thank you, Stuart.
29:35Mishalba.
29:37So, I actually went to Israel
29:39last year and I also went to
29:41the West Bank
29:43and went to the border of Gaza.
29:45This was before the conflict
29:47broke out and it was
29:49exactly what you said there, Stuart,
29:51actually, people desperate to see peace
29:54in the region and some people
29:56living in really terrible
29:58conditions as well.
30:00So, absolutely, and for me,
30:02I've actually always supported an immediate ceasefire.
30:04I've always done that.
30:06I know necessarily the Labour Party hasn't always said that,
30:08but I always have.
30:10And I believe that we should be
30:12taking UN guidance on this and that actually
30:14the world needs to do more to find a lasting solution
30:16in that part of the world
30:18and a two-state solution that recognises
30:20Palestine is desperately needed
30:22over time.
30:24We need to first of all make sure
30:26that aid gets into Gaza and then following
30:28that we need to make sure that longer term
30:30we're finding a way to have a longer lasting
30:32peace in that part of the region because it's desperately
30:34needed.
30:36Kate.
30:38So, I am very proud to be green and we were the first
30:40party to call for a ceasefire
30:42within, I think, 24 hours
30:44of the news breaking
30:46and I've signed the Palestine Solidarity
30:48Campaign Pledge.
30:51Can you tell me what that pledge is?
30:53Because that's like, it's a Jewish recording of a ceasefire as well.
30:55I know, I've seen
30:57the comments and the
30:59protests that have taken place
31:01by Jewish people and I think we have to
31:03recognise that the Israeli
31:05government are not the Israeli people.
31:07They are a far-right government
31:09pushing
31:11and unquestionably,
31:13the UN have decided that there
31:15is potentially a case for
31:17the reality of what's
31:19going on on the ground to be a genocide
31:21and I think you only have to look at the people
31:23that are suffering and that the
31:25hostages need to be returned
31:27and this is a
31:29political thing. As a Green Party
31:31we do not believe that weapons are the
31:33answer. Weapons might start
31:35the fight but weapons do not end the fight.
31:37It is through talking to
31:39each other and coming to conclusions
31:41that stops
31:43fights from happening and if we were,
31:45if I was to allow my child to hit another kid
31:47in the playground, well I wouldn't, would I?
31:49None of us would sit there and encourage
31:51our child to hit another child
31:53so why do we allow it to happen to us
31:55as adults? So we would not
31:57sell arms to Israel and arguably
31:59we would not sell arms to anybody
32:01because it only makes more blood
32:03on the ground.
32:05Thank you very much.
32:09Yeah, in fact
32:11it's a shame really
32:13because both sides
32:15are
32:17being victimized in some way or the
32:19other. Israel also, Hamas
32:21attacks them and
32:23Israel bomb
32:25the Palestinians.
32:45...
33:05...to give them safe haven.
33:07Okay, thank you.
33:09Okay, we've got
33:11another question in the audience.
33:15I think we lost some sound there
33:17but I think we've got it back on the live stream.
33:19So we'll come to our next
33:21question here and we can introduce ourselves as well.
33:23Sure. I'm Peter Cook.
33:25I'm standing as an independent candidate here.
33:27There won't be enough chairs to go around even though
33:29Raven's not here.
33:33Thank you for the question about Gaza.
33:35I myself say, Kate,
33:37immediate ceasefire.
33:39There's no reason to have wars.
33:41There's two other elephants in the room.
33:43One is climate, which you may come on to.
33:45The other one is Brexit.
33:47It's contributed 4.5% GDP
33:49lost to the country. It's ruining
33:51Britain. It's weaponized
33:53racism. I'm sure this gentleman's very nice
33:55but his boss runs a racist party.
33:57Yes.
33:59I'm sure this gentleman's
34:01very nice.
34:03So let me finish
34:05the question. The question
34:07is...
34:09I'll speak if you don't mind. The question is
34:11what will the panel
34:13do about Brexit?
34:15Because he pointed at me,
34:17I would like to say,
34:19I'm not a Brexit racist because
34:21I'm a coloured person.
34:23It doesn't mean you can't be racist.
34:25You're coloured, your skin does not mean you cannot be racist.
34:27Let's...
34:29You don't need to train
34:31a brown person how to think. I'm sorry.
34:33Okay. Hold on. We'll stick to the panel.
34:35Thank you.
34:37Rizvi, over to you.
34:39What would you do about Brexit?
34:41Do you think there's a problem with...
34:43Sorry. I didn't...
34:45What would you do about Brexit?
34:47Well, I'm in favour
34:49of what Nigel has done, in short.
34:51You don't feel
34:53that there's parts of it which have not worked out well?
34:55Because you'll be paying every year
34:57300,000 euros.
34:59A million euros.
35:01For Brexit.
35:03Because so many other countries
35:05they don't have any problem like
35:07even BRICS,
35:09for instance.
35:11You can export from any country, you pay the taxes.
35:13That's it. And you add to the
35:15customer. That is all.
35:17It's not a big deal.
35:19Okay. Nisha?
35:21So, I was a Remainer.
35:23I voted to remain in the European Union.
35:25That's what I campaigned for as well.
35:27And...
35:29But obviously, that referendum happened
35:31and the vote was to leave the European Union.
35:33So I accept the results of that referendum
35:35as the Labour Party have also said.
35:37We've got no intentions of rerunning that.
35:39Personally, I think that
35:41I can understand why some people voted to leave.
35:43And I can also see that from
35:45walking around the communities that I live in,
35:47speaking to people who felt like they weren't necessarily
35:49seeing the benefits of being part of Europe.
35:51So I can understand why people took that decision.
35:53As I say, it wasn't something that I agreed with.
35:55What I think we now need to do, though,
35:57is have a better relationship with the European Union.
35:59Not necessarily as part of it,
36:01but certainly as trading partners, as people that we work with.
36:03And also in terms of opportunities
36:05for young people in the future as well.
36:07I think we need to find a way to mould that.
36:09And unfortunately, what's happened with the previous Tory government
36:11is that they, after saying
36:13they had this oven-ready deal and pushing it through,
36:15actually just stomped all over
36:17any opportunities to do that.
36:19And I'll give some examples.
36:21I do a lot of work around housing.
36:23And one of the areas where it has had an impact
36:25is in terms of the cost of materials
36:27and how we import them across Europe.
36:29It's also had an impact on some of the cost of food.
36:31So we do need to look at these things a bit better
36:33and work better with our partners
36:35across Europe.
36:37But we're not suggesting rerunning a referendum
36:39and understand that we've had that democratic vote.
36:41Stuart?
36:43Brexit was a very divisive issue.
36:45It literally split my family up.
36:47I voted to remain.
36:49My dad voted to leave.
36:51It was very memorable.
36:53And I asked him, you know,
36:55why?
36:57He actually spent five, six years working in Europe
36:59for our houses,
37:01a few, while working for Europe.
37:03So I always felt surprised when he said that.
37:05And he said because he didn't feel right
37:07in Europe anymore. He didn't feel that.
37:09And I think that's the problem.
37:11Brexit was a very emotional experience.
37:13And I don't think we're prepared to go through that again.
37:15I think when you speak to the people
37:17on the doorstep, they don't want to talk about Brexit anymore.
37:19They want to talk about what's really affecting their lives.
37:21The NHS, jobs,
37:23schools, stuff like that.
37:25There is a need, though,
37:27to look at the trade.
37:29You speak to companies, not just in Kent,
37:31but across the country.
37:33They're suffering. They can't get their goods across.
37:35Pharmaceuticals are not coming across.
37:37People can't get the drugs they need for chemistries
37:39across. We have to deal with that.
37:41And so we, as a party,
37:43are looking at how we can improve our relationships
37:45with Europe, get trade moving again,
37:47get
37:49cost of living down again,
37:51and of course our long-term vision is, eventually,
37:53to look into returning to the single market.
37:55Thank you. Over to you, Katie.
37:57The worst decision I ever made
37:59was to vote for Brexit.
38:01And as a Green Party member, that might surprise you.
38:03But I
38:05voted for it in good conscience at the time
38:07before I had joined the Greens
38:09and actually had really understood
38:11the threat that global warming, climate change,
38:13biodiversity
38:15has on us as a nation.
38:17And had we had the people's vote, which
38:19I know that Caroline campaigned for,
38:21I would have voted to remain.
38:23It has not been implemented correctly.
38:25Our farmers have been left
38:27basically in debt.
38:29So have our fishermen,
38:31mainly fishermen.
38:33I'd like to meet a fisherwoman, that would be fantastic.
38:35But the reality
38:37is we have had Brexit.
38:39It hasn't worked.
38:41So as a party, we would
38:43always seek to rejoin at the right
38:45moment. I also
38:47think that the way in which the government
38:49have, and the
38:51specific parties, have divided
38:53this country in order
38:55to rule this country needs to
38:57be stopped. We need to come
38:59together as a community and get ourselves out
39:01of this hole and do that
39:03by making the people that have the most
39:05pay for it. And ideally
39:07those that championed Brexit
39:09with their millions and
39:11incorrect statements. I did not vote for
39:13the 350 for the NHS, for example.
39:15It was on the side of the bus.
39:17I know, it was on the side of the bus. But I think we
39:19have, I think the country has been
39:21very divided and now is the time to come back
39:23together under a government that wants
39:25to see this country grow and prosper.
39:27Thank you. Thank you very much.
39:29Okay.
39:31We have another question now
39:33from the audience.
39:35I think we have Jack here with a question.
39:37Okay, so this is about Reform's track record.
39:39So how do you expect people to take you seriously
39:41if you have former members of Reform saying
39:43Britain would be in a far better state
39:45had we taken Hitler on his offer of neutrality?
39:47And to the other parties, how do you feel
39:49about a party such as Reform
39:51with the record that it has, having the poll rating
39:53that it has?
39:55Yeah, you're able to repeat that.
39:57Sorry. We didn't follow that.
39:59Okay.
40:01Let me hold the microphone.
40:03Okay.
40:05This is to Reform about their track record.
40:07How do you expect people to take you seriously
40:09if you have former members of Reform saying
40:11Britain would be in a far better state today
40:13had we taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality?
40:15And to the other parties,
40:17how do you feel about a party such as Reform
40:19with the record that it has, having the poll ratings
40:21that it has?
40:23Okay.
40:25Everyone follow that?
40:27Okay.
40:29Kate, do you want to go first?
40:31I understand
40:33why Reform exists.
40:35Because there is a lot of discontentment
40:37and anger
40:39and sadness in our communities.
40:41But
40:43the way in which they are directing
40:45the fact that they are
40:47blaming it on immigration,
40:49which has statistically been proven
40:51to bring money and wealth
40:53and skills and knowledge into this
40:55country, versus
40:57those that have got
40:59vast swathes of money that do not
41:01circulate within our economy at all.
41:03The fact that so many
41:05American companies now own
41:07British companies
41:09has led to basically a decimation
41:11of our manufacturing industry,
41:13our businesses. Businesses are now
41:15produced in order to be sold, not to be
41:17grown over a number of years.
41:19So I understand the anger.
41:21Because I have that anger too.
41:23But when you look deep into the figures
41:25and you meet people that have come
41:27here through immigration, my children
41:29would not be here had it not been
41:31for my father-in-law coming from Spain.
41:33You see how beautiful
41:35this country is.
41:37And we want to be proud of our country.
41:39And to do that, we must acknowledge
41:41the past and what has happened in order
41:43to go forward as a community.
41:45It's not
41:47the brown, the white, the yellows.
41:49That's not
41:51the problem. The problem
41:53is the green money circulating.
41:55Not the greens.
41:57The green money.
41:59Cut that out.
42:01It's the money.
42:03It's the money.
42:05I was thinking about
42:07dollars.
42:09Stuart.
42:11I'm a Liberal Democrat. I generally do believe
42:13on listening to all points of view.
42:15I am happy to share a stage
42:17with any political party and happy to talk
42:19and debate to anybody who comes
42:21to there and
42:23has honest views.
42:25I'm not against reform as a party.
42:27They have their views. I have mine
42:29and I respect them and I'm happy to be here
42:31with them all and they should exist.
42:33I'm deeply disappointed with those specific
42:35comments that the gentleman mentioned.
42:37I'm a little history buff.
42:39I really do enjoy
42:41reading about military history
42:43and World War II is actually one of my favourite
42:45past times
42:47to read about. I've watched
42:49Band of Brothers over and over again.
42:51That specific
42:53comment, as someone who
42:55studied of Hitler
42:57and what he did and what that
42:59organisation did, there can
43:01be no defence to
43:03that they had any point of view
43:05that was positive. None of the
43:07things.
43:09I think the gentleman's been chucked out
43:11of reform and I'm glad the party's done that
43:13because that was just abhorrent.
43:15Okay, thank you.
43:17Sorry, I didn't get the question.
43:19Okay.
43:21I didn't get the question myself as well.
43:23Could you just repeat
43:25it for us?
43:27Okay, I'm coming back.
43:29Okay, Jack, nice and loud for Rizvi.
43:31Alright, okay, so how do you expect people
43:33to take your party seriously
43:35if you have former members of reform saying
43:37Britain would be in a far better state today
43:39had we taken Hitler up on his offer
43:41of neutrality? And to the other parties,
43:43how do you feel about a party such as reform?
43:45What was that snapback?
43:47Oh, my bad, okay. Did you hear that?
43:49I think you're very on, yeah.
43:51I think Lizzo's good at it.
43:53Okay.
43:55Could he read writing?
43:57Okay.
43:59Do you want to try answering it yourself?
44:01Yeah, I'm happy to try and answer it.
44:03So,
44:05I'm the child of immigrants, right?
44:07I was born in Chatham, but my family were,
44:09I come from migrants, and I'm also Muslim.
44:11So, the politics of division
44:13to me is deeply abhorrent and really
44:15personal, actually, because
44:17for me, I'm incredibly proud of this country,
44:19and I see myself as British, and I'm not going to have anybody
44:21else tell me that I'm not.
44:23So, for me, this is a, you know,
44:25the politics of division as I see them,
44:27not just in this country,
44:29but actually, I've seen them across a lot of
44:31countries now. We're seeing them across Europe, we're seeing
44:33them elsewhere, where people are trying to find
44:35solutions to the big problems we face
44:37as a society by stoking that
44:39division, and I think it has to stop.
44:41I receive so much racism on my Facebook,
44:43on my social media, saying
44:45you're a Muslim, you do this,
44:47or not another Khan,
44:49you must be related to, and lots of things like
44:51that which are stoked
44:53in trying to say that you don't belong, and I'm
44:55not happy to accept that, and I think we've got
44:57to take some responsibility as a country
44:59for stopping that, and coming up
45:01with some real solutions to the problem we face
45:03rather than pointing the fingers at others.
45:05Yes.
45:07Can I just, can I add something to that?
45:09Najaba
45:11mentioned it about the fact that
45:13Europeans are now voting for the right.
45:15I just want to remind everyone
45:17that the German people
45:19did not knowingly go in
45:21to kill the millions that they did,
45:23but they were part of that
45:25situation.
45:27So we must be very careful
45:29about how our politics
45:31leaps forward.
45:33I think I'll pass that question because
45:35I couldn't even read the writing, sorry.
45:37It's a very specific question about reform though.
45:39We'll move on from that.
45:41The next question we've got
45:43is more about you guys
45:45as individuals.
45:47I think it's about the right to defend themselves.
45:49I think it's about the right to
45:51defend yourself. The question was specifically
45:53about reform.
45:55So you should have an opportunity to respond.
45:57We're going to come back to this.
45:59Okay.
46:01So this
46:03next question is about you as individuals
46:05if you were elected as the MP for Gillingham
46:07and Raynham.
46:09If you could achieve just one thing during
46:11your term in office, just one thing
46:13for the people of your constituency,
46:15what would it be and why? Najaba.
46:17For me it would be the transformation
46:19of Gillingham Town Centre.
46:21I think it is symbolic
46:23of years of decline in the area
46:25that haven't been championed.
46:27Yes, you could say it's about the bricks and mortar
46:29looking tired, but actually
46:31it's about a wider piece around
46:33the fact that the area has deprivation
46:35and that just hasn't been dealt with
46:37for a number of years. So for me, if we can
46:39make Gillingham Town Centre feel welcoming,
46:41people want to come there.
46:43There's not necessarily a retail offer
46:45as we might have seen it in the past, but
46:47if there's a reason to be a part of a community
46:49there and there's pride,
46:51then I would feel like I've achieved something.
46:53Stuart.
46:55Yes, I mean
46:57on sort of a professional skype
47:03On a professional level, I would like
47:05to see it, I'd be the most
47:07engaging MP. We've had 14 years
47:09of an MP who largely ignores
47:11the public and has surgeries
47:13that are more like a photo op.
47:15On a personal level, and this is just for me,
47:17I love allotments.
47:19I'm a big allotment fan, and they've
47:21hugely declined around Medway
47:23and especially in Gillingham Reynham.
47:25We've got some of the oldest allotments in Kent
47:27and they are fantastic
47:29areas for so many reasons. I wouldn't call them
47:31the silver bullet to solve all our problems,
47:33but they're pretty close.
47:35For biodiversity reasons, they have 70%
47:37more insect biomass in there
47:39than the countryside. They bring communities
47:41together. I've got an excellent WhatsApp group
47:43who have shared amazing
47:45things. They're good for physical health,
47:47they're good for mental health,
47:49they're fantastic things. If I could achieve
47:51just one thing, it's more allotments in the Midway.
47:53Great, thank you.
47:55I would concentrate on
47:57the hospital first,
47:59to keep the people healthy at least,
48:01and see whether all the
48:03hospitals are up to date
48:05and it is for
48:07the whole of Kent. I think Medway
48:09will be a sort of
48:11first class hospital.
48:13That is my intention.
48:17Kate, what about you?
48:21I would like to work at the local plan
48:23in order to get more social housing.
48:25The four or five bed houses
48:27that we're seeing built
48:29is detrimental to
48:31every young person today because they will
48:33not be able to afford to live
48:35in Medway. They will have to leave Medway
48:37to buy something cheaper
48:39further away and actually will lose that
48:41talent we've invested through our
48:43education system. I would like to see
48:45social housing built. I would like
48:47to see it on brown sites.
48:49I would like to see
48:51the education sector
48:53improved in terms of
48:55the academies that we've currently got. I know
48:57that there are a number of academies that have got very
48:59large sums of money in their bank, but
49:01there are children still getting substitute
49:03teachers. That
49:05would be my focus on actually building
49:07homes, creating the education so that
49:09we have the economic growth in the future.
49:11Okay, thank you.
49:13Any more questions from the audience?
49:15Abby.
49:19I think one problem is
49:21all of the untreated sewage that is
49:23being pumped into our rivers and seas.
49:25Obviously, I don't
49:27think anyone, if you're going to the beach today,
49:29you really should not have to check to see
49:31if the water is safe to
49:33swim in. I want to know,
49:35to all of you really, what are you going to
49:37do about these big water companies
49:39pumping poo into the sea?
49:41Thank you.
49:43Nishava.
49:45Really, really good question. Actually, I went
49:47and I met the Medway
49:49Blue Tips not too long ago.
49:51They go swimming in really
49:53cold temperatures, which I
49:55might brave one day,
49:57particularly at the Strand.
49:59They said exactly this.
50:01How do you know that the water that we're going into is safe?
50:03We just don't.
50:05There was some statistics that showed that sewage dumping in
50:07Gillingham and Raynham is a lot higher
50:09than in other places in Kent as well.
50:11There's a real problem with this.
50:13I think it needs national legislation.
50:15Absolutely. At the minute, the water companies have been
50:17allowed to get away with it.
50:19I know that Labour want to introduce,
50:21first of all, tougher, quicker fines
50:23on the water companies that are doing this,
50:25but also for persistent offenders,
50:27make it a criminal offence.
50:29Because frankly, what's happening at the minute isn't working.
50:31I'm not saying that when the bill went to Parliament
50:33that it wasn't voted through, because it would have made such
50:35a big difference to make sure that the very
50:37least we can say is that the water
50:39that you're in is safe and it isn't
50:41being dumped in like some industrial
50:43waste dump. This is something
50:45that I know Labour will push hard at,
50:47but if I were elected as a local MP, I'd also
50:49want to give a strong voice to.
50:51Okay, thank you.
50:53Okay, Rishi.
50:55Yes, we had to address that issue
50:57carefully because,
50:59as mentioned, the water quality
51:01is so bad, it
51:03affects the health, so that has to
51:05be addressed too.
51:07Okay, thank you. Kate.
51:09Can I have a show of hands for who can choose
51:11where their water comes from, please?
51:13Oh no, it's a monopoly, isn't it?
51:15We have no choice.
51:17So why are private companies
51:19running the very,
51:21very liquid that we cannot survive
51:23without? It's as simple
51:25as that.
51:27We would
51:29re-nationalise the water.
51:31Exactly, so we would
51:33re-nationalise, reinvest. We would
51:35build reservoirs because all that water
51:37that was coming down last month, or in Saturday
51:39included, has just disappeared. It's going
51:41to go out of the water table. We
51:43need it to be under public
51:45ownership where we have got
51:47a say in how it's run,
51:49where reservoirs are put, and
51:51we don't want poo in our rivers.
51:53Simple as that.
51:55Stuart.
51:57This is a fantastic question.
51:59I'm really glad you brought it up. I mean, the Lib Dems
52:01locally have been leading this issue
52:03across Medway. We personally went out and started
52:05testing areas along the river
52:07and we found that at the Strand where those
52:09Blue Tits, lovely people, were swimming,
52:11their E. coli level was three
52:13or four times higher than it is safe
52:15to do so. We also tested
52:17areas around St Mary's Island and again, that was dangerous
52:19levels of E. coli. We understand that.
52:21We looked at the data and you can see that even
52:23on dry days, southern water
52:25are dumping sewage
52:27into our river and that's just not on.
52:29So we've got a plan.
52:31The first and fourth place is
52:33to ban bonuses for all
52:35executives. They shouldn't be getting bonuses for that.
52:37They should be paying it. We are going to
52:39look into
52:41bringing the companies out of
52:43private industry into public benefit companies
52:45and therefore back into our own hands
52:47to our control. But I think the key one
52:49that we're going to do is abolish Ofwat.
52:51If you haven't heard of Ofwat, they're apparently
52:53the organisation that regulates
52:55water companies. This is the same organisation
52:57that gets taken out to dinner
52:59by the water companies.
53:01It is not fit for purpose. It needs
53:03to be abolished and a new regulatory body
53:05brought in.
53:07One of the last ones that we're really keen on
53:09is that we're going to use money
53:11that we get from water companies to fund
53:13local journalists because we think
53:15in those areas, these issues are not missed
53:17because there's not a good local journalist
53:19in there following up these stories
53:21and pressuring the water companies. So we'll use
53:23that money to keep the pressure on whatever companies
53:25stay in and make sure we have clean rivers.
53:31Could a dead cat
53:33do any worse than Rishi Sunak?
53:35No, better I imagine.
53:37Better.
53:39We've had a question from Seamus
53:41Hay.
53:43What have you done in your personal life
53:45to help your potential
53:47constituents?
53:53I've always
53:55had a sense of duty.
53:57I don't know how I got that from my parents
53:59or where I was brought up but it led
54:01me in many of my career paths
54:03in terms of both my early career when I worked for the Ministry
54:05of Defence or when I worked for
54:07the Crown and then
54:09in my later life,
54:11in 2019, when I was
54:13looking after my kids,
54:15it led me to volunteer in a local community
54:17and I have to say
54:19one of the benefits of COVID
54:21and there's not many, but one of them was
54:23it brought communities together
54:25you start paying attention to the people around you
54:27and
54:29I started volunteering locally. I helped
54:31set up a Friends of the Rain and Wreck
54:33group which was an organisation to bring together
54:35people to support our park. We've done
54:37lots of things locally. We planted bulbs,
54:39we put up a willow den for the kids to play
54:41and those sort of things. And that
54:43sense of volunteerism sort of
54:45really spurred me on to do what I am here and
54:47I think that's where I would come
54:49as an MP as well because that's learned me that
54:51actually the best answers are not
54:53in my brain, they're in your brains.
54:55Collectively, together
54:57we can achieve so much more
54:59than if we were told what to do.
55:01Thank you. Kate.
55:03So, pandemic.
55:05I was told to shield.
55:07I was told that I had a high likelihood
55:09of dying if I contracted COVID.
55:11Pleased to say that I didn't
55:13or maybe ghosts are real.
55:15But I set up
55:17a non-profit locally and I
55:19had on the panel two fantastic
55:21volunteers who would
55:23take shopping, prescriptions
55:25to people that were either isolated
55:27because they were shielding or in fact
55:29they tested positive themselves for COVID.
55:31That led on and we now run
55:33befriending groups across Medway.
55:35At the time we had 260
55:37volunteers. We're now down to about
55:3960 but we run events every single week
55:41for loneliness and
55:43isolation. We also run groups
55:45for those who are neurodivergent
55:47ADD, ADHD
55:49on the autistic spectrum.
55:51And we also run groups for younger
55:53people as well. We're going to be relaunching our club
55:5518 to 24 later in the year.
55:57So, basically what I say
55:59is what I do. I work every day
56:01within the community to make it better.
56:03Thank you.
56:05Thank you, Kate.
56:07That was brilliant what you set up
56:09during COVID and the work that went into it
56:11coordinating lots of volunteers.
56:13I've dedicated my life to this local community.
56:15I've been trying to do as much as I can
56:17over the last decade. It's been tough
56:19not always being able to make the decisions
56:21that you like to in the area. But for me, my background
56:23is in homelessness and tackling it.
56:25And I've worked for a national charity and I've
56:27volunteered at local homelessness
56:29shelters. And one
56:31of the things I really want to do is make sure that we have
56:33a permanent shelter here in Medway.
56:35One big family do such great work
56:37and I've been supporting them in the past.
56:39I really want to work with them to see if we can set up a permanent shelter
56:41across Medway. But the one thing I've
56:43learnt in doing all of this,
56:45whether it's working with Kate and the work
56:47that you did during COVID or
56:49some of the work that we've done around homelessness is that
56:51actually the true change has to come
56:53from the structures in this country. And that's where
56:55you've got to do it. We need to live
56:57in a society where food banks don't need to exist.
56:59Where homelessness shelters don't
57:01need to exist. And that's what I'm passionate to get
57:03to do if I'm in government.
57:05Thank you.
57:07First of all, I
57:09want to apologise because I have a very
57:11serious ear infection
57:13for the last one week. I was not to come but I
57:15came on an invitation.
57:17What have you learnt from your own life?
57:19I have
57:21been actually
57:23a member of the Lions Club for
57:2535 years. I did a lot of voluntary work
57:27and I've been a district governor until recently.
57:29And so I do a lot
57:31of volunteer work for the elderly and for the
57:33disfortunate people so that I thought
57:35I could be able to do a lot more
57:37work while being a politician here
57:39for
57:41reform.
57:43Thank you very much. Well, that's all
57:45we have time for. Thank you very much
57:47to all the candidates for Jillingham and
57:49Raynham. We'll be
57:51back after the break with questions for the
57:53Chatham and Aylesford candidates. See you soon.
57:59Thank you.