Meet the Candidates

It’s only four days until the General Election which will define how Britain tackles the questions of Brexit, global terror and our faltering economy. 

It’s natural to feel a little out of the loop as you slave away in the lib. So we at the Tab have put together a list of all the candidates and their headline policies so you don’t have to look up from your laptop.

Daniel Zeichner, The Labour party

Daniel Zeichner moved to Cambridge to study History at Kings in 1976. After graduating, he worked as a computer programmer before becoming an Unison official as well as many other jobs.

Political experience

Before beating Huppert to election by 599 votes in 2015, Zeichner was the parliamentary assistant to John Garrett, an MP in Norwich, who was later replaced by Charles Clarke. Since being elected for Cambridge, Zeichner has been elevated to a shadow ministerial portfolio as shadow Minister for Transport. Nevertheless, his position as shadow minister was called into question when he voted against the triggering of Article 50.

Views and Policies

Zeichner is in favour of remaining within the European Union, and he wants to fight Brexit. On his website, he has referred to “the dark clouds of Brexit looming”.

Zeichner is a profound supporter of addressing the problems of climate change. He has been a long term member of Greenpeace, and is an executive member of the Labour party’s Environmental Campaigning Group. With the Liberal Democrats, Zeichner announced the Cambridge climate change message.

Voting against the triggering of article 50 was not the first time that he disobeyed the party whip, he was one of the Labour MPs who voted against the decrease in tax credits, rather than abstaining.

Julian Huppert, The Liberal Democrats

Julian Huppert was born in Cambridge; he was educated at the Perse School, a private school located in Cambridge, before matriculating at Trinity College Cambridge, where he completed a BA, Masters of Science and PhD in Biological Chemistry.

Political experience

Huppert was elected in 2010, after David Howarth stood down as the Liberal Democrat MP. Huppert is, on the whole, on the left of the Liberal Democrats, which is shown by his profound support of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, frequently entering resolutions to the Liberal Democrat conference unsuccessfully attempting to change their policy from multilateral disarmament, to unilateral. Unlike many other Liberal Democrat MPs, Huppert voted against the rise of tuition fees. Criticism has arisen from the Cambridge Labour party, nevertheless, who highlight how he voted for the ‘Bedroom Tax’. More recently, Julian Huppert has become effectively the party spokesperson for the decriminalisation of cannabis, appearing on BBC News Channel, defending the party’s policy. He did however admit that “he’s far too boring to smoke cannabis”.

Views and policies

On Brexit, Julian Huppert has stated that he is willing to fight Brexit, referring to himself as “a passionate pro-European”. He believes that our universities, NHS and whole range of businesses benefit from our EU membership, and therefore it would be detrimental to Cambridge to leave the EU.

Huppert, and the Liberal Democrats, has also pledged to fight against “free school vanity projects” which waste money, as well as new grammar schools.

Locally, Julian Huppert has pledged increasing pay for local public sector workers, increasing the funding of Cambridgeshire police forces and pledged money for pre-schools to offer more places to disadvantaged pupils.

John Hayward, The Conservative Party

John Hayward first moved to Cambridge in 1989, where he studied Natural Sciences at Christ’s, before gaining a PHD in genetics here. He then worked in the International Development sector. He has lived in Cambridge since he first moved to Cambridge from university.

Political experience

Aside from his work within the International Development sector, Hayward has worked as the Executive Director of the Jubilee Centre from 2008 to 2011, which is a self-described “Christian Social reform organisation that offers a biblical perspective on contemporary issues”. Recent publications, no longer under the stewardship of Hayward which has been replaced by new leadership, have included issues such as “Gender – Where Next”? A think piece which argues against the ‘transgender ideology’ and attempts to reassert the binary nature of the sexes. When it comes to internal Conservative politics, he was the party’s Policy Forum Manager. He has also worked as a senior parlamentary researcher to Craig Mackinlay MP, a notable leave supporting MP. Mackinlay is currently under the investigation of The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over electoral expenses.

Views and policies

Much of Hayward campaigning have been around the ideas of a ‘Smart Brexit’. Unlike Zeichner, and Huppert, Hayward does not believe that Brexit will be a catastrophe. He thinks that through the achievement of 12 policies it could be a success.

Hayward, furthermore, has also challenged Theresa May’s policy of fox hunting stating that he is a “natural scientist” and opposes bloodsports.

Stuart Tuckwood, The Green Party 

Stuart Tuckwood was educated at the University of Glasgow where he studied Nursing. He since has moved to Cambridge, where he works as a nurse.

Political Experience

Tuckwood is a qualified steward for Unison. He has also campaigned to keep the Nursing course at the University of Glasgow and is a member of the Cambridge Health Emergency group which is campaigning and the growth of the private sector within the NHS.

Views and policies

Tuckwood has argued that the British people should have a say over the Brexit Deal that we get, in the form of a second referendum. He has also argued that as a part of the EU renegotiation freedom of movement should remain.

He supports a national home insulation scheme to alleviate fuel poverty, and in order to tackle climate change.

He has pledged to bring mental health care in line with physical care, as well as opposing the “£540 million” savings NHS Cambridgeshire needs to find.

Keith Garrett, Rebooting Democracy

Unlike three other candidates, Garrett was not educated at Cambridge; he was educated at Manchester, and Open Universities. He has lived in the city for 17 years, where he has worked in IT.

Political experience

This is not his first time that he has run for political office, in 2015 he ran against Zeichner and Huppert coming a distant 6th winning just 167 votes.

Views and policies

Rebooting democracy is not a party most people would have heard of. It favours profound change from the political system we currently have, whereby rather than electing a group of politicians who are accountable to the electorate every election the party favours a system called “sortition”. This is effectively a jury style system whereby members of the public are randomly selected, and when they make a political decision they are removed from office.

The polls will open at 7am on 8th June. Cambridge City Council has information on which polling station each college should use.