A new opportunity for Medway as the Liberal Democrats select their candidates to represent them in the upcoming General Election

Stuart Bourne will contest Gillingham and Rainham

Nicholas Chan will contest Chatham and Aylesford

Graham Colley will contest Rochester and Strood

Medway Liberal Democrats are pleased to announce their Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPC) at the next General Election.

Lynn Ibeji, Chair of Medway Liberal Democrats said: "We are delighted to announce Graham, Nicholas and Stuart as our candidates to represent Medway Liberal Democrats and to fight the upcoming General Election. All three candidates are natural enthusiastic campaigners, involved in a wide range of issues from human rights and civil liberties to education, health and environmental standards. They stand up for residents and communities day in, day out. They have experience across the public, private and charitable sectors, and know how to get things done.

Medway is ready for change and it is time to show this failing Conservative Government that their time is up. For too long people across Medway have been abandoned by the Conservatives, with our public services cut to the bone, fluctuating police numbers, and many residents having difficulty accessing timely healthcare. Medway needs proactive champions who are vocal and address the issues they care about.

At the next General Election, people will have the chance to vote for Stuart, Graham and Nicholas and gain 3 hard-working MPs whose work ethic and dedication to the community are beyond reproach. "

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS/ ADDITIONAL TEXT

Candidate Bios:

Stuart Bourne, Liberal Democrat PPC for Gillingham and Rainham

Stuart was born in Medway, lived in Gillingham with his then soon-to-be wife, and now they live in Rainham where he is the primary carer for his two young children. He has had a varied public service career, starting out as a project manager for the Ministry of Defence before working as a senior gardener at Buckingham Palace between 2012 and 2019.

For the last 4 years Stuart has volunteered his time working on several local community projects in Rainham and is a school governor for a local primary school. It is through these endeavours that he has witnessed the difficulties and hardship many people in Gillingham and Rainham are facing, after years of being ignored by the Conservative government.

He is standing to ensure that no-one is ignored or left behind, and to preserve the liberal values that make our country great.

Graham Colley, Liberal Democrat PPC for Rochester and Strood

Graham is a local solicitor, former local County Councillor and was the Lib Dem candidate for Rochester and Strood in 2019.

A Party member since university, Graham lives in Rochester and knows the constituency well, having campaigned in many Kent elections. Graham has twice been a Parliamentary candidate previously for Mid-Kent and is a former Kent County Councillor for Medway South and co-chair of the Kent Fire & Public Protection committee. Graham is a very active campaigner for the Lib Dems and is a keen cyclist.

Graham is President of the Liberal Democrat Lawyers Association-/Rights-Liberties-Justice having acted as its Newsletter editor and former Chair.

He has been a Legal Aid lawyer in Lambeth, Westminster and Chatham and now has a practice specialising in wills and inheritance issues. Graham has shown years of service to the Liberal Democrat Party in Kent fighting for Liberalism and the European ideal, fighting to help overcome the divisions in Society.

Graham is a Liberal Democrat because they have a philosophy he believes in: "No one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity". He says that under the Conservatives people's lives and incomes have stagnated and Society has deteriorated.

Nicholas Chan, Liberal Democrat PPC for Chatham and Aylesford

As his university alumni, friends and Church congregation will attest, Nicholas passionately uses his advocacy skills to improve the lives of others. His trust in God for strength and wisdom has served him well when rising to challenges. Nicholas was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Singapore, where he and his sister were proudly raised by his mother. Formerly a psychologist, Nicholas is now entering criminal law. Nicholas also writes on local politics and human rights advocacy; his articles are available here.

In some of his pro-bono cases involving living conditions in social housing, he has seen laws and policies used oppressively. Often hard-working families are frustrated in overcoming endless bureaucracy. He wants to fix the problems by going to the roots of law-making – that is our Parliament. Politicians may not set out to cause mischief when law-making. But the failure to understand, scrutinise and deliberate the details can have serious repercussions, often to individuals who are less able to represent themselves.

Throughout his childhood in Hong Kong, he was witness to the very difficult transitional years with the handover of sovereignty. He knows freedom cannot be taken for granted and justice is a virtue. He is humbled to have the privilege to stand for values, secure and free, in this country. He is determined to deliver on the promise ‘No one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity’, never shying away from seeking liberalism and democracy.

Published and Promoted by John Castle, on behalf of Medway Liberal Democrats, all at 155 Sturla Road, Chatham, ME4 5QH