Meet your Brentwood & Ongar MP candidates for the 2019 general election

Reminder: The General Election will take place on Thursday, December 12.

Here are your parliamentary candidates for Brentwood & Ongar:

Green Party - Paul Jeater

Green Party candidate Paul Jeater

The issue that overhangs this general election campaign is the Climate Crisis. 'Business as Usual' politics is no longer good enough.

The United Nations panel on Climate Change have indicated that unless we get our carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, the process of climate change will be irreversible.

The Green Party believe there needs to be a fundamental shift in our economy to meet this target.

A green new deal can create up to three million new jobs. We need to move away from fossil fuels, invest in public transport, encourage walking and cycling, and introduce a street by street scheme to insulate homes.

As a Remainer, I feel that there is no better deal than we have inside the EU, however I accept that back in 2016 those who were allowed to participate voted to leave.

We now know what deal is on the table, and I feel that the people should decide the final outcome - let the government's deal be put up against remaining in the EU in a second, confirmatory referendum.

Brentwood & Ongar has traditionally been a save Tory seat, but I ask, what have they ever done to benefit this constituency.

We have to travel to Chelmsford, Basildon or Harlow for most hospital appointments, our school budgets have been cut to the bone, and they even wanted to close libraries.

We can do so much better. It's time for climate action, it's time to Vote Green, if not now then, when?

Labour - Oliver Durose

Labour candidate Oliver Durose

I’ve lived in Brentwood & Ongar since I was five years old.

I’m standing as the Labour candidate to give people an alternative, to show people that poverty and inequality are not facts of life, but injustices to be rectified, and to give residents a chance to vote for a local candidate, not a political careerist.

My fundamental priority is to secure a Green New Deal. This election will decide the fate of our planet and it’s clear that only Labour can implement the kind of radical programme necessary to save our children’s future.

Secondly, I’m committed to ending the housing crisis that’s holding young people back and forcing private tenants into insecurity. That means building modern, affordable, energy-efficient social housing on a mass scale.

Thirdly, I will do everything in my power to prevent Boris Johnson privatising the very NHS we created.

Fourthly, I will campaign to bring our railways back into public ownership – it’s grotesquely unfair that the money we spend on tickets goes straight into the pockets of private shareholders, rather than the public purse.

Of course, there’s one thing that’s standing in our way – Brexit. That’s why we will finally put this issue to bed by giving the people the final say.

Let the public decide between a credible leave deal and remaining in the EU so that we can move on and make the kind of changes that local people in Brentwood & Ongar deserve.

Conservative - Alex Burghart

Conservative candidate - Alex Burghart

I live in Ongar with my wife and family and was first elected as the MP for this constituency in 2017.

I am standing for re-election to support the Prime Minister’s plans to improve the NHS, increase funding for all pupils in local schools, recruit hundreds more police officers for our area and to get Brexit done.

Since 2010, the Conservatives have cleared up the mess that Labour made of our public finances, grown the economy by nearly 20 per cent and delivered record employment – helping millions of families across our country.

This means that after nine years’ hard work we are now in a position to take our public services to the next level and build the infrastructure the country needs.

As your MP over the past two and a half years I have campaigned for more funding for education and more police officers, to save our local libraries, for new legislation to prevent illegal building on greenbelt and unauthorised encampments, to tackle potholes and for policies that will breathe new life into our high streets.

I’m delighted that these issues have been recognised in the Conservative manifesto.

Only a Conservative majority will be able to get Parliament working again and deliver on all this and more.

Only the Conservatives will be responsible with the nation’s finances and security.

Only the Conservatives will keep Jeremy Corbyn out of power and take the country to a brighter future.

Liberal Democrats – David Kendall

Lib Dem candidate David Kendall

Now that the date for the General Election has been confirmed for December 12, I welcome the opportunity to fight the Brentwood & Ongar seat for the Liberal Democrats at this key moment in our country’s history.

For me, stopping Brexit and the loss of trust in Boris Johnson and his Conservative government are two of the key issues at stake at this election.

However I am also passionate about taking action on a whole range of other issues, such as getting better mental health services, fighting for more funding for special needs education, tackling climate change and campaigning for improvements to bus and rail services.

The facts clearly show that the Lib Dem go into this election as the only serious alternative to the Conservatives in Brentwood & Ongar.

At the recent Euro Elections the Liberal Democrats came a strong second in the constituency as residents saw us as the only credible Remain party and at a local level we hold 13 seats on the Borough / District Council’s and two of the five seats on Essex County Council.

We live in very uncertain political times and when I’ve been outdoor knocking I’ve sensed there is a real mood for change.

Many residents I’ve spoken to have serious concerns about Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal and don’t trust him and his government to deliver for all the people in this country.

Brentwood & Ongar residents have an opportunity to Stop Brexit at this election by voting Liberal Democrat.

If I am elected as the MP I will use my knowledge and understanding of the area to champion resident’s views at Westminster especially for the young, the old and the most vulnerable in our community.

I will challenge the system and hold the decision makers to account.

English Democrat - Robin Tilbrook

English Democrat candidate Robin Tilbrook

Mr Tilbrook will also be standing in the General Election. Unfortunately, no statement was issued.