The North Somerset Labour party have announced that Sadik Al-Hassan will be their candidate to try and unseat current North Somerset MP, Conservative Liam Fox, in the upcoming general election.
Sadik was selected at a meeting of Labour members from across the constituency held in Nailsea on Sunday.
He said: “I am so proud to be standing for Labour at a time when the polls show that we have a very real chance of winning here.
“Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue my efforts to meet as many residents as possible to explain how Labour can change things for the better and end the long decline we have witnessed over 14 years of Tory governments.”
Sadik is an award-winning pharmacist and worked on the NHS frontline in Patchway during the pandemic.
He has also spent time as a councillor and Deputy Mayor in Emerson’s Green where he campaigned for change on issues such as protecting the environment and safeguarding green spaces.
A key priority for Sadik is a plan to rebuild North Somerset’s NHS and social care system having had professional and personal experience of the deterioration of heal services despite workers’ best efforts.
There has also been a deterioration in North Somerset particularly.
Sadik said: “The Institute of Health Equity recently revealed North Somerset as the only local authority in the South West where the gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest women has widened significantly since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.
“This is a shocking indictment but is just one example of the ways in which austerity has hit us very hard. Our NHS and other public services are at breaking point and are crying out for change.”
Tory MP Liam Fox has held his seat for the past 32 years and he is still predicted to have the majority of the votes, but only just.
In January, YouGov’s constituency-level MRP forecast, the method which correctly predicted the 2017 and 2019 General Elections, predicted Liam Fox would win 33% of the votes in North Somerset, with Labour just behind on 32%.
The poll also showed the Lib Dems would sit on 16%, with the Greens getting 9%.
Sadik said: “Labour has a path to victory against the Tories in North Somerset, but it is narrow,”
North Somerset Labour Party chair Julian Morris added: “If Liberal Democrat and Green voters want a new, hardworking MP they must consider lending their vote to Labour because it is the only party the polls and the last three general elections prove can defeat the Tories.
“Sadik, with his track record of winning local elections in Tory strongholds, is the only candidate who can lead North Somerset to a better future.
“We are delighted to have chosen a candidate with the energy, vision and commitment to stand up for North Somerset and reverse the 32 years of lacklustre representation the constituency has suffered under Tory MP Liam Fox.”
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