General Election 2017: Liberal Democrats reveal Hackney candidates

Hackney North and Stoke Newington candidate Joe Richards. Photograph: Hackney Lib Dems

Hackney Liberal Democrats have announced their candidates for June’s general election.

Joe Richards is to stand in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, a seat held by shadow home secretary Diane Abbott since 1987.

Dave Raval, who lost out to Labour’s Philip Glanville in Hackney’s mayoral election last year, is to run in Hackney South and Shoreditch, where Meg Hillier will be seeking re-election.

Richards, who has lived in Hackney for 10 years, is hopeful that the 78 per cent of voters in Hackney who chose ‘Remain’ in the EU referendum will be swayed by his opposition to Brexit.

He made mention of Diane Abbott’s vote in favour of triggering Article 50, after the Labour MP missed the first ballot on the subject due to illness.

Richards said: “So many people just felt so angry and let down, firstly, by her cowardice when she failed to turn up for the first vote. Then the second vote where she clearly went against the wishes of the people of Hackney who voted overwhelmingly in favour of an open, tolerant Britain inside the EU.”

Besides opposing Brexit, Richards wants to bring more “local power” to the people of Hackney. He added: “Our opposition at national level has been far superior to Corbyn’s inept Labour Party but the council seats that we have been winning week in and week out, up and down the country, show how strong we are on local issues.

“I want to be a campaigning MP working to keep the local economy thriving, providing decent jobs, housing and a higher standard of living for residents.”

Richards, who co-founded a local charity which aims to make economics more accessible, is concerned about what he sees as inequality in the borough: “The gap between rich and poor in Hackney is something the Liberal Democrats have never stopped campaigning to reduce and that will absolutely be a top priority for me.”

Hackney South and Shoreditch candidate Dave Raval. Photograph: Hackney Lib Dems

Dave Raval is also making Brexit one of the cornerstones of his campaign as he prepares to take on Meg Hillier in Hackney South and Shoreditch. He said: “Labour are dominant in Hackney but they are not representing the wishes of their constituents who overwhelmingly voted to stay in an open, tolerant and united Britain within in the EU.

“When I was campaigning in Hackney during the ‘Remain’ campaign, I met so many wonderful people who were so passionate about the liberal values of Europe. The residents I speak to now feel so let down by Corbyn’s Labour and are ready to elect a party that will represent the views of this incredibly diverse borough. That can only be the Liberal Democrats.”

Raval is critical of Labour’s record on housing in the borough, adding: “Labour have overseen the deterioration of housing in Hackney for decades and have waved through plan after plan to build luxury developments with less and less affordable housing that has seen whole communities broken up as people can no longer afford to live in the borough.

“As a campaigning MP I would fight to put residents and local communities back at the heart of the planning process so we can not only build homes but build strong communities.”

Voters go to the polls on 8 June after prime minister Theresa May called a snap election earlier this month.

Hackney Liberal Democrats Prospective Parliamentary Candidates can be followed on Twitter at @joerichards and @DaveRaval