Last night six parliamentary candidates faced off in a bid to secure your votes to become Leyton and Wanstead’s next member of parliament in the 2019 general election.

At St John’s Church, Leytonstone, John Cryer, the incumbent Labour MP, Conservative Noshaba Khiljee, Liberal Democrat Benjamin Sims, Green Party candidate Ashley Gunstock, Brexit Party candidate Zulf Jannaty, and independent Henry Scott, debated the important election issues and faced questions from the audience.

The hustings was hosted by reverend David Britton.

Cryer set out his case to be re-elected by blaming ‘Tory attacks on the public sector’ for leaving communities feeling like they had lost control of their destiny.

In the 2017 general election, Cryer won with 69.8 per cent of the vote share; he has held the seat since 2010.

He added: “I want to live in a country where people are protected… I want to see the 21st century version of the great Atlee government.”

Jannaty, who is husband to a Spanish national, said there was no contradiction between wanting Britain to be free of "undemocratic EU rule" and wanting an open Britain.

He added that parliament “blatantly ignoring” the referendum reflected politicians respect for residents’ opinions on other matters.

Leyton and Wanstead, historically a Labour stronghold, voted Remain with 65.24 per cent of the vote share in the EU referendum.

Sims said the country had been “divided” by Brexit and claimed either a Labour or Tory government would mean “more of the same.”

Gunstock focused on environmental issues. “We have an emergency and it needs to be addressed”, he said.

“We are going to be in desperate trouble if we don’t do something about it.”

Khiljee set out her determination to fight for the NHS and support Whipps Cross hospital.

She promised to fight for the constituency’s “fair share of 20,000 police officers and that the Tories would make the nation carbon neutral by 2050.

Independent, Henry Scott, the youngest parliamentary candidate in this year's general election, having tuned 18 this month, said this election is an opportunity to change “how we think about society and how we vote.”

Henry, who has lived in the area since he was six, said: “I believe beyond all doubt I know what this community wants and what it needs”

He added he was “tired of party politics” and politicians’ inability to compromise and debate rationally.

For full coverage of all the questions asked, see our live blog from last night.