Ian Sharpe selected by the Liberal Democrats in Loughborough

As I mentioned briefly before, Liberal Democrat party members in Loughborough and Charnwood have selected Ian Sharpe to be their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for the Loughborough constituency.

Ian Sharpe is a qualified accountant who was a financial director for over 20 years and, having taken early retirement, is heavily involved in various charitable enterprises across Loughborough and the East Midlands.

Commenting on his selection, he said,

I am delighted to have the opportunity to represent people in Loughborough. It will be a privilege to put forward a positive new agenda, campaigning to provide better funding for Leicestershire,  reversing cuts to our local services such as Sure Start and SEND transport, standing up to this Government’s removal of the Lib Dems’ free school meals from 160,000 children and raising more funds for social care and the NHS from taxation.

To strengthen our economy and tax base it’s vital we continue to trade freely with Europe.

No other party is speaking the language of common sense on these issues and there is a huge gap that we have a responsibility to fill.

I believe that the Liberal tradition in Loughborough and the East Midlands will provide the opportunities for all people to develop to their full potential and make a positive impact on our community.

Creating a sustainable policy should be at the centre of our politics, including reviving the zero carbon homes programme, cancelled by the Conservatives. I believe that a smart utilisation of all resources will only enable a sustainable future for all future generations creating jobs in a new economy.

In Parliament, Liberal Democrats are the only party which recognises how disastrous it will be for people to lose their rights to travel and trade freely and will give them the final say on any Brexit deal, instead of leaving it to a few ministers.

Locally, Lib Dem councillors are the only ones providing challenge and opposition on the Conservative Council – for example, unsecurely lending £5 million to the Northamptonshire County Council whilst cutting vital community services and granting the Councillors an inflation busting pay rise. We want to see higher quality jobs and homes that are affordable to our local people.

Local party chair Marianne Gilbert added:

Loughborough and Charnwood Liberal Democrats warmly welcome Ian as our PPC. He has worked tirelessly for the constituency for many years and has been instrumental in increasing the local party membership. His enthusiasm for the constituency is widely recognised beyond the party and he will I am sure have a significant impact both as a PPC and as future MP.

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

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