Antony Higginbotham: here is the Burnley Conservative candidate's manifesto for the General Election
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Five-point manifesto
1. Be a strong, local voice for residents in the House of Commons, pushing for a cap on legal immigration, zero-tolerance to illegal migration, strong national defence, and common sense policies.
2. Return services to Burnley General Hospital from Royal Blackburn, including through the delivery of a new state-of-the-art radiology department for improved and quicker diagnosis locally.
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3. Finish the construction of the Padiham Flood Defences in full, with Phase Two funded and built.
4. Deploy hotspot policing in areas with extra need arising from ASB and drug dealing.
5. Secure a feasibility study from Lancashire County Council for a new slip road, heading towards Blackburn and Preston for the M65 near ASDA, to ease congestion in our town centre as we grow and invest.
Politics to me isn’t some lofty career ambition. It’s not about Westminster. It’s about you and your family, and how we can improve our area. That’s why in this election I’m asking for your support once again, so I can continue what we began four and a half years ago.
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Hide AdBack in December 2019, I promised to do politics differently. To be a visible and accessible MP; and to deliver results rather than simply complaining as we’ve seen from successive Labour MPs. Since then, I have worked day and night to bring the positive change our area deserves – working with government, council, businesses, and others.
We’ve built phase one of Padiham’s flood defences. Expanded education at Burnley College and with a new university campus at Newtown Mill. Rolled out hotspot policing in areas with high ASB. Returned services to Burnley General Hospital. Transformed Burnley town centre with a new leisure development. And secured £52m. of Levelling Up Funding, including £20m. that is to be spent on your priorities over the coming years – not on council pet projects.
That’s my track record, delivered during challenging times, and now I’m seeking your support so we can continue with this journey.
The election here is between a Labour candidate brought in from Manchester – scripted, no doubt well-polished but lacking in any local knowledge or interest in Burnley. Or me. Somebody who has lived and breathed our area all his life.
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Hide AdSomebody who knows what we’re all about. Has a track record of delivering the change we needed and is determined to do more.
We’ve all seen the polls and heard the commentators. You know who they say is going to form the next government. But if Sir Keir Starmer is Prime Minister, your values and priorities will need a voice.
So here’s my contract with you. No matter who is in power in Westminster, I will always be your voice. I will always stand up for our values. And I will always get things done for our area – as I have done since 2019.
I know you might not agree with everything my party has done. I know you feel frustrated. I’ve often been as frustrated as you, including when it comes to issues like immigration.
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Hide AdBut on July 5th when you wake up in the morning, you will have an MP going to sit on the green benches of the House of Commons. That will either be me or the Labour candidate. If you vote Reform, you’ll be handing Labour back the seat they took for granted for so many years, and giving them carte blanche to do what they want.
If I can deliver for Burnley and Padiham during one of the most challenging periods since the second world war – where we saw a global pandemic and energy crisis – I know I can deliver for you whatever the national outcome. On both local and national issues.
Support me once again and I will not let you down.
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