Vanessa Sims Lancashire Post Editor

reader

As the race to the polls continues, we are being bombarded with the reasons we should vote for the national parties.

This week leader of the Conervatives Party Rishi Sunak issued a special message to the people of Preston.

He discussed how the Tories have announced a plan for 30 towns, including Preston, Fleetwood and Skelmersdale, to get £20 million each in the next parliament. 

He claimed the money will help revive high streets and town centres. Importantly, he says WE as Preston residents will decide how this money is spent. 

Sir Keir Starmer also penned a letter to the people of Preston and wider Lancashire.

He pledged to sort out the NHS because the 'NHS through my DNA'.

He said the NHS waiting list is now 7.5 million – that’s 600,000 longer than when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister. Across Lancashire and South Cumbria alone, he says there are 200,000 people on NHS waiting lists. 

Nigel Farage, party leader of Reform UK, even made a trip to Lancashire. He addressed a conference in Blackpool after sinking a pint watching the England match.

Mr Farage said people in Blackpool should “join the revolt” because Britain was broken and only Reform could fix it, insisting the party was now the only opposition to a resurgent Labour party.

Have any of the party leaders inspired you enough to win your vote?

A reader poll on the Lancashire Post revealed 79 per cent of those who voted have already decided who they will be voting for on July 4.

Another 11 per cent said they had not made up their minds yet and the final 10 per cent said their vote was swaying back and forward.

The Lancashire Post held a hustings between the candidates vying to become Preston's next MP.

Readers were invited to send in their questions and they did so in their droves.

The debate covered the state of Preston's high street, the war in Gaza, the location of the new proposed hospital, affordable housing, and of course potholes.
The decision is yours on July 4. The most important thing is making your voice heard by registering your vote.

Afterall, if you don't vote - it's unfair to criticise those who stand up and give the tough jobs a go.

Kind regards

Vanessa Sims

Lancashire Post editor