Labour admit Reading West and Mid Berkshire is not a “battleground seat”

The Labour Party recently opened selections for over 200 constituencies across the country which they do not consider to be “battleground seats”.  Reading West and Mid Berkshire is the only one of the three seats in Reading Borough which is included on the list.

Helen Belcher, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, commented, “It’s a relief to see that the Labour Party are admitting, at last, that the contest for Reading West and Mid Berkshire is between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrat campaign is already underway - we are serious in wanting to win this seat.”

Dr John Grout, the chair of the Reading Liberal Democrats, added, “We are already seeing the benefit of being the first party to select a candidate for Reading West and Mid Berkshire. We are finding so many voters wanting a change of government, and willing to vote for us. Helen will be a marvellous MP, and has already shown she’s working hard to win the seat.”

Belcher continued, “It’s clear that Liberal Democrats have a real chance of winning here.  May’s local elections clearly showed us in contention across the seat, with more Lib Dem councillors elected than either Conservative or Labour.  That’s real votes, not models or projections.  Conversations across the constituency confirm that local voters are taking us as serious contenders.  And all the time the Conservative government is making itself more and more unpopular, throwing huge amounts of money at its pet schemes while ignoring the pressures on household budgets, the NHS, and council funding.”