Fareham and Waterlooville candidates explain why they deserve your vote ahead of General Election on July 4

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked all candidates standing for the newly created Fareham and Waterlooville constituency to tell voters why they should earn their vote.

The Fareham seat has been held by Conservative’s Suella Braverman since 2015, but a the new-look constituency has now been created which takes in a large proportion of Waterlooville. YouGov has projected a win for Conservatives in Fareham and Waterlooville, with nearly 37 per cent of the vote share.

Suella Braverman - Conservative

As the Member of Parliament for Fareham over the last 9 years, I am proud of my track record of local delivery and of being a strong voice for you.

I have been a faithful advocate of local peoples’ views on immigration, policing and Britain’s culture. That’s why I voted for Brexit in 2016 and am leading calls to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. As Home Secretary, I spoke up for the law-abiding, patriotic majority. I left the government because it was not doing enough to keep our streets safe or cut immigration. I am an independent Conservative who puts you and our country first. Not party or government jobs.

My track record includes working to deliver a new Chemotherapy Unit in the heart of Fareham, saving thousands of patients the journey to QA; working to secure funding for the new £58m Urgent Care Centre at QA with Conservative colleagues and being an advocate for thousands of local residents to get better GP access.

My plan for the future is to work to increase investment into our Shopping Centres like Waterlooville, Portchester and Fareham – building on the new development already taking place; and fighting for better transport, water and local services.

Kevan Chippindall-Higgin - Reform UK candidate

Britain is broken. Brexit was delayed for years and then botched. Northern Ireland was effectively abandoned in 2020 and in 2022, made worse. Covid was grotesquely mis-managed and the costs soared. Untested vaccines were forced on people and only now are the problems emerging.

Government waste continues apace, the national debt continues to soar and taxes will have to climb. In the last 2 years, we have welcomed the combined populations of Manchester and Birmingham and still they come. The illegals continue to pour across the Channel and nothing is done.

The leaders of the other parties either do not know what a woman is or claim that a woman can have a penis. Our history is being twisted out of all recognition and even established scientific facts are being undermined.

The police no longer bother turning out to shoplifting offences, knife crime is off the scale and even gun crime is on the increase. Our laws are not being impartially applied.

I stand for the impartial teaching of facts, historical and scientific. I stand for the protection of women to enjoy their safe spaces such as changing rooms. I stand for being proud of our glorious country and continuing to promote its values and achievements which have shaped and improved so much of the world.

Edward Dean, Rejoin EU Party candidate

I’m 71, a retired civil engineer, and I’ve come back from retirement in Spain in order to help save Britain! This constituency is lovely, and I’ll move here if I’m elected.

I was born in Essex, and have lived and worked in London, Harlow, Aberdeen, Bath, Sussex, Yorkshire, Cambridge, and Swansea. My first job was as a farm labourer and my second as a kiln cleaner in a cement factory, but then I graduated from university working for many years as an civil engineer in the offshore energy industry, a Research Associate at Cambridge University, a Senior Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, and an engineering consultant.

I believe that Brexit has failed – nothing that was promised has been delivered, and extra problems and extra costs have been created. I don’t think it was necessarily bad that we got the experience of leaving, but I do think voters need a chance to give their verdict on how things turned out – voting for the “Rejoin EU” party provides an opportunity to do just that.

At 71, I am sufficiently experienced to represent Fareham and Waterlooville in parliament. A vote for me and my party will help wake those Westminster politicians up to the real dissatisfaction that many people feel.

Gemma Furnivall, Labour Party candidate

You deserve a local, dedicated, hardworking, community driven MP, that will put you & Fareham and Waterlooville first, always.

I’m standing to be your MP for the new Fareham and Waterlooville constituency. I have worked my entire life in public service, healthcare, education, and prisons.

I live in Fareham as a local councillor with my husband and young autistic son & battle MS myself. I am a fighter who knows the system and wants to use that experience to fight to put you & this area first.

My first steps to being a dedicated local MP that puts you first:

* 100% commitment to serving you & putting you first.

* Accessible all year round not just election time, with weekly surgeries & a high street office.

* Work on a cross party basis to get the best for you.

* I will champion our area on the national stage, to bring investment our way.

I am already working on stopping sewage dumping, holding developers to account for their promised infrastructure and working to improve our local NHS care.

Vote Gemma Furnivall on July 4th. Choose Local. Because Fareham & Waterlooville deserve better.

Robert Holliday, Hampshire Independents

Robert has lived in Basingstoke, for over 35 years. He was educated in the north west, gaining an honours degree and a further degree in engineering, before moving south. He worked in engineering design and construction, and became a chartered engineer. He set up a successful engineering consultancy with others, where he was a director. He has now retired and so can focus more on local issues.

He understands that tax from individuals and business profits fund the support and care for the needy, local amenities, policing and other key infrastructure services. He believes that tax money does not belong to the politicians, it is our money and must be spent wisely and Transparently.

He doesn’t own a car and mainly travels by public transport, including by the Fareham – Gosport bus way and also on foot. He therefore takes an interest in local and rural transport provision, including provision for pedestrians and cyclists or any who can’t drive. This can be left out of any new residential development or even a local highway improvement/upgrade schemes.

Robert will be available for you and will strongly support and promote the community in the local council. As your local MP, Robert will fight for issues that concern you and not a party whip.

Bella Hewitt, Liberal Democrat Party candidate

I firmly believe that there must be a better way of conducting politics in the UK.

After a 30-year career working initially in finance and business, and then in healthcare specialising in health inequalities and socio-economic change, I was shocked to my core by what I witnessed at the centre of government during Covid-19. Leading a public health advisory team, we all worked around the clock to provide the best tools and information to Ministers to support their decisions. Yet, we needn’t have bothered.

Our Prime Minister, his Health Secretary and their conservative-appointees were mired in a chaotic, self-absorbed world of their own – completely unfit to govern. As evidenced by the endless Downing Street parties, PPE corruption, £38 billion Test & Trace fiasco – failing to prioritise the welfare of their citizens, us ordinary folk.

I am determined to inject integrity back into our public life. To serve all the residents in Fareham & Waterlooville, not just the Conservative few.

We urgently need to repair our broken public services, put an end to the scandalous levels of poverty and inequality and build back a better, more hopeful future for the UK.

Goodbye Suella • Vote Bella4LibDemMP

Robert Holliday, Hampshire Independents party candidate

Rober Holliday was approached for comment.

Baz Marie, Green Party candidate

As the Green Party candidate for Fareham and Waterlooville, I prioritise a fairer society that is better connected to its environment. We need to move away from our current consumption-driven economy. Our local rivers and the Solent suffer from illegal pollution, highlighting the failure of policies that disconnect people from their environment. Additionally, GP appointments are hard to secure, and dental provisions are so inadequate that people are forced to pull out their own teeth in modern Britain. Housing for young families is another critical issue, with rents and mortgages unfairly high due to the reckless behaviour of think tanks influencing our politicians. Families in Fareham and Waterlooville bear the brunt of these economic mistakes.

I will work diligently to ease this burden. I will champion initiatives that restore natural habitats and promote sustainable practices, ensuring everyone has access to clean air and water. By calling out greed and advocating for policies that prioritise fairness, we can create a community where everyone thrives. Together, we will build a future where our local economy supports people and the environment, fostering a deeper connection between citizens and biodiversity. I will also focus on improving bus routes and providing cheaper fares to make public transportation more accessible and affordable for all.