Southport Liberal Democrats select John Wright

Southport Liberal Democrats have just selected John Wright to be their next Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) in the seat formerly held by John Pugh.

A former teacher and college Principal, John Wright lives in nearby Croston and has campaigned in Southport with the Liberal Democrats for many years. He has also been a councillor in Preston and stood in South Ribble at last year’s election.

Speaking after his selection, he said,

It was a bitter blow to lose Southport in 2017. However, my selection marks the start of the fight to take back the seat, and we are campaigning hard to take all seven seats in the upcoming local elections.

It’s now a three-horse race in Southport but we are confident that, with the right messages and the right strategy, and with relentless campaigning, we can and will win here whenever the next election comes along. The Tory vote is soft, Corbyn’s Labour is vulnerable, and the Liberal Democrats have positive messages to get out there.

Talking of the constituency, he added:

Southport is a town I know and love. I’ve been coming here since I was a boy when my parents used to bring me on the train, in the days when we had a direct train route to Preston. My favourite place was the model village and, of course, the sun always shone here. As a teenager, I sometimes used to come and watch Southport FC with my brother. Now Southport is the go-to place for shopping and leisure for me, my wife and our children.

John Wright backs the campaign to take Southport out of Sefton:

Southport has had a raw deal from Labour-run Sefton in Bootle. We need to lobby hard for Southport to have its own council and take control of its own spending and services for the benefit of Southport people.

Southport residents deserve better – better public services, decent schools, safe streets and a clean environment; it’s not too much to ask. The Liberal Democrats have a positive programme to implement and I’ll work hard to achieve this renewal if I am Southport’s next Member of Parliament.

He is also no fan of Brexit:

Make no mistake, Brexit will hurt Southport’s economy, yet the Conservative MP is consistently voting in favour of a hard Brexit. We must do everything we can to offset the damage. We also need to shine a light on a side of Southport that is too often overlooked – people living at the margins, those in poor quality housing, people with disabilities facing welfare cuts, those in uncertain employment struggling to pay bills. The gap between prosperity and poverty in Southport is sometimes stark.

There’s a full list of Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate selections so far here.

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