David Chadwick Selected as Brecon & Radnorshire Westminster Candidate

• David Chadwick selected as the Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate in the party’s top Welsh target seat of Brecon & Radnorshire.
   
• The Selection follows major gains made by the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Conservative/Liberal Democrat battleground of Powys during this year’s local elections, where the Conservatives were left with just a single councillor in B&R

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have selected their first General Election candidate to stand in their top Welsh target seat.

David Chadwick was selected by local party members as the Prospective Parliamentary candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire. David currently works as a cyber security consultant and has family ties to Builth Wells. David became interested in politics when his grandfather took him to see the steelworks in Port Talbot to see what it was like to work in a blast furnace stating it gave him an early insight into how politics, industry and communities are intrinsically linked.   

In recent months, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have made major gains in Powys, becoming the largest group on Powys County Council and in Brecon and Radnorshire they topped the polls with 15 councillors compared to the Conservatives who were left with just a single councillor.

The seat of Brecon and Radnorshire has long been considered a Conservative-Liberal Democrat battleground with the area’s MPs and Senedd Members coming from one of the two parties since 1979. The Liberal Democrats would need a swing of just 8% to take back the seat.

The local election results in Powys follow three large-scale by-election success for the Liberal Democrats across the country, including in the Conservative seats of Chesham and Amersham, Tiverton and Honiton and notably; the rural seat of North Shropshire just across the border from Powys.

Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds MS, welcomed David Chadwick’s selection stating:

“David will be a fantastic advocate for the people of Brecon and Radnorshire who will make sure their voices are heard loudly and clearly in Parliament.

“The Conservatives have taken Brecon and Radnorshire for granted time and time again with an MP that consistently votes against the interests of her constituents. The Party is out of touch with Mid Wales and its people’s priorities and values.

“That is why we have already begun to see the Conservatives' hold on Mid Wales start to crumble. After this year’s local elections, the Conservatives will be looking over their shoulders to try and hold the seat in the next general election.

“It is now up to the Liberal Democrats to win this constituency at the next election and give the area a representative who will stand up for local people’s interests and be a loud voice demanding change for the better.”

David Chadwick, Welsh Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Brecon & Radnorshire, said:

“Brecon and Radnorshire is one of the most beautiful areas of our country. Yet people in rural areas like this are angry at being taken for granted. They just can’t trust the Conservatives to do what is best for them, their families or their businesses. In contrast, people can see that their Liberal Democrat representatives are listening to them, and delivering to make Brecon and Radnorshire a better place to live.

“Whether it’s the local MP's support for the dumping of sewage in the national treasures of the River Wye and Usk; or Prime Minister Liz Truss signing trade deals that threaten the livelihoods of Welsh farmers – the Conservatives aren’t listening to local residents.

“This was further reflected in this week’s ‘bankers budget’. Rather than help rural communities like Brecon and Radnorshire, Liz Truss is intent on rewarding mega rich bankers in London and the South East and those who earn over £155,000. The cost of which will be met by the middle and working classes and our children and grandchildren.

“The only thing the Conservative Government even attempted for rural areas like Brecon and Radnorshire was a measly £100 in support for those reliant on heating oil, a downright insult to the 17,807 homes in Powys facing a minimum of £1,200 in increases to their bills.

“I’m excited to kick off our campaign and act on people's concerns. The Liberal Democrats want to win Brecon and Radnorshire back and be the shared voice of rural communities in Parliament.”