Lib Dems choose candidate in bid to unseat Conservatives from key Welsh battleground seat

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have selected their first General Election candidate in a bid to unseat the Conservatives in a key battleground seat.

David Chadwick has been selected by local party members as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire, the seat of Tory MP Fay Jones.

The seat has gone back and forth between the two parties in recent elections, with the Liberal Democrats coming out on top in a 2019 byelection before losing it again in the December General Election of that year.

The Liberal Democrats then failed to win the seat at last year’s Senedd elections. However, May’s local elections saw the Welsh Liberal Democrats becoming the largest group on Powys County Council, and in Brecon and Radnorshire they topped the polls with 15 councillors compared to the Conservatives who were left with just a single councillor.

They have also claimed some unexpected Conservative scalps in in the seats of Chesham and Amersham, Tiverton and Honiton, and the rural seat of North Shropshire just across the border from Powys.

Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds MS, welcomed David Chadwick’s selection stating: “David will be a fantastic advocate for the people of Brecon and Radnorshire who will make sure their voices are heard loudly and clearly in Parliament.

“The Conservatives have taken Brecon and Radnorshire for granted time and time again with an MP that consistently votes against the interests of her constituents. The Party is out of touch with Mid Wales and its people’s priorities and values.

“That is why we have already begun to see the Conservatives’ hold on Mid Wales start to crumble. After this year’s local elections, the Conservatives will be looking over their shoulders to try and hold the seat in the next general election.

“It is now up to the Liberal Democrats to win this constituency at the next election and give the area a representative who will stand up for local people’s interests and be a loud voice demanding change for the better.”

‘Win back’

David Chadwick currently works as a cyber security consultant and has family ties to Builth Wells. He said that he became interested in politics when his grandfather took him to see the steelworks in Port Talbot to see what it was like to work in a blast furnace stating it gave him an early insight into how politics, industry and communities are intrinsically linked.

He said: “Brecon and Radnorshire is one of the most beautiful areas of our country. Yet people in rural areas like this are angry at being taken for granted. They just can’t trust the Conservatives to do what is best for them, their families or their businesses.

“In contrast, people can see that their Liberal Democrat representatives are listening to them, and delivering to make Brecon and Radnorshire a better place to live.

“Whether it’s the local MP’s support for the dumping of sewage in the national treasures of the River Wye and Usk; or Prime Minister Liz Truss signing trade deals that threaten the livelihoods of Welsh farmers – the Conservatives aren’t listening to local residents.

“This was further reflected in this week’s ‘bankers budget’. Rather than help rural communities like Brecon and Radnorshire, Liz Truss is intent on rewarding mega rich bankers in London and the South East and those who earn over £155,000. The cost of which will be met by the middle and working classes and our children and grandchildren.

“The only thing the Conservative Government even attempted for rural areas like Brecon and Radnorshire was a measly £100 in support for those reliant on heating oil, a downright insult to the 17,807 homes in Powys facing a minimum of £1,200 in increases to their bills.

“I’m excited to kick off our campaign and act on people’s concerns. The Liberal Democrats want to win Brecon and Radnorshire back and be the shared voice of rural communities in Parliament.”