Summary

  • Welcome to our live stream page for Your Voice, Your Vote in Lincoln - part of our local coverage of the general election debate

  • The debate took place at 12:00 BST on Friday 28 June

  • You can use our lookup tool to find out who is standing as a candidate in your area and to which polling station you can go to vote

  • Use our interactive poll tracker to check the latest trends measuring how people say they intend to vote

  1. Watch the debatepublished at 14:15 28 June

    We've come to the end of our live coverage of the BBC Radio Lincolnshire Your Voice, Your Vote election debate. You can watch again on BBC iPlayer or listen again on BBC Sounds.

    Media caption,

    Tim Iredale brings you a debate with constituency candidates

  2. General election advicepublished at 12:57 28 June

    The general election will take place on Thursday 4 July.

    Polling hours are from 07:00 until 22:00 BST.

    Those registered to vote will already have received a polling card in the post, which gives details of the polling station assigned to them.

    When voting at your nearest polling station, you will need to present photographic ID.

    Polling station sign

    What is a general election?

    The general election is to elect Members of Parliament - or MPs - to the House of Commons.

    The UK is divided into 650 areas, called constituencies, each of which elects one MP to represent local residents.

    Most candidates represent a political party, but some are independent.

    You can read more about the general election through the BBC coverage here.

  3. Your questions answeredpublished at 12:55 28 June

    Mistrust in politicians

    Adam Linsley said: "There is a huge distrust of politicians from the general public."

    His question to the candidates is: What are you going to do to stamp this out and deliver a cleaner, more honest politics that people will be able to trust?

  4. Your questions answeredpublished at 12:51 28 June

    Forces

    Pippa, 22, said: "I moved across the country with my partner who is in the Royal Air Force. I’m 22 and lost my job due to the company closing.

    "I have worked since 16 and have a degree. I can’t find a job even though I have applied for everything. We can barely get by on forces wages.

    "Servicemen and women could be called to risk their lives at any moment."

    His question to the candidates is: What support would you put in place for forces families who are constantly uprooted to all sorts of remote locations?

  5. Your questions answeredpublished at 12:44 28 June

    Brexit

    Luke Wallace, 33, said: "Brexit promised to take back control of our borders and money. It’s done the opposite.

    "The economy has crashed and we’ve lost control of our borders."

    His question to the candidates is: Why is no one talking about the need to address the damage Brexit has caused?

  6. Your questions answeredpublished at 12:38 28 June

    Housing

    Susan O'Rourke said: "Young people need affordable housing so they can build a future and have a family.

    "More and more couples are forgoing starting a family because of the costs. Future growth rests with the young."

    Her question to the candidates is: What would you do for young people?

  7. Your questions answeredpublished at 12:26 28 June

    Immigration

    Ian Newbold, 51, said: "The United Kingdom is broken, nothing works as it should and the thousands of people coming into the UK are placing more strain on housing, health, education and welfare.

    "Any party that gets tough, and I mean tough on immigration will win this election."

    His question to the candidates is: What’s the answer on immigration?

  8. Your questions answeredpublished at 12:16 28 June

    Tax

    Andy Roberts, 48, said: "The tax burden is continuously rising, and we face tough choices moving forward.

    "Either we switch to a permanently high taxation system to fund our expensive public services and welfare system or, on the other extreme, we limit some services to live within our means."

    His questions to the candidates is: What’s your stance on taxation?

  9. Your questions answeredpublished at 12:08 28 June

    NHS

    John Mitchell said: “Each year, more and more money is poured into the NHS. Despite this the service given becomes worse each year.

    "The whole NHS should be thrown up in the air and there should be a root and branch examination of all aspects of it."

    His question to the candidates is: What does your party plan to do with the NHS?

  10. Candidates' biographiespublished at 12:07 28 June

    The five candidates taking part in the debate have shared some information about themselves:

    Hamish Falconer - Labour

    Hamish Falconer in a suit and tie smiling in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral
    Image caption,

    Hamish Falconer

    Mr Falconer, 38, grew up in London and studied social and political sciences at Cambridge.

    He led the anti-terrorism team at the Foreign Office including service in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

    Most passionate about "making the economy work for working people", his political hero is Clement Attlee.

    Mr Falconer is the son of Baron Falconer of Thoroton, a British Labour peer and barrister who served as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice under Prime Minister Tony Blair from 2003 to 2007.

    In his spare time, he enjoys running and cycling.

    Sally Horscroft - The Green Party

    Sally Horscroft smiling with a black blazer and flower top on in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral
    Image caption,

    Sally Horscroft

    Ms Horscroft, 66, is a retired office manager who was born in Norfolk and moved to Lincoln at the age of 12.

    She left school at 16 and has had a variety of jobs including as a secretary, warehouse manager and stock control worker.

    At 40, Ms Horscroft went to the University of Bradford to study art and design.

    Most passionate about climate issues, she said "we don’t have much time to prevent permanent damage to the climate". Her political hero is Caroline Lucas.

    In her spare time, she enjoys reading, choir singing, walking and going to live music gigs.

    Karl McCartney - Conservative

    Karl McCartney smiling with a blue shirt and purple tie with white dots on in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral
    Image caption,

    Karl McCartney

    Mr McCartney, 55, was born in Birkenhead, Merseyside.

    He studied geography at Lampeter, now the University of Wales, and went on to gain a masters in business administration.

    In London, Mr McCartney worked in corporate affairs and management consultancy for Conservative Central Office and later The Sir Keith Park Memorial Campaign.

    He was elected as Conservative MP for Lincoln in 2010, defeated by Labour in 2017 and re-elected in 2019.

    Most passionate about transport, education and sport, Mr McCartney's political hero is Tony Benn.

    He enjoys playing football, rugby, cricket and snowboarding.

    Jamie-Lee McMillan - Reform UK

    Jamie-Lee McMillan in a suit with his top button undone in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral
    Image caption,

    Jamie-Lee McMillan

    Mr McMillan, 34, was born in Harworth near Doncaster and moved to Lincoln at the age of six. He grew up near Sleaford.

    At 19, he moved to Scotland to train as an apprentice blacksmith and carpenter. While there, he studied maths, biochemistry and physics at Glasgow University between switching studies to counselling.

    Most passionate about "freedom of expression, thought and speech", he enjoys playing guitar and piano, reading and undergoing voluntary work in his spare time.

    Clare Smalley - Liberal Democrat

    Clare Smalley with glasses and a blue dress and necklace on smiling in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral
    Image caption,

    Clare Smalley

    Ms Smalley, 53, was born in Newark and moved to Lincoln in 1994.

    She worked in the travel industry and later got married and had children. After starting a family, she went to Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln and studied education.

    She now works as a primary school teacher and became a councillor on the City of Lincoln Council in 2021.

    Passionate about the NHS and improving her community, Ms Smalley enjoys watching live music and reading.

  11. About the constituencypublished at 11:57 28 June

    Sharon Edwards
    Political Reporter, BBC Radio Lincolnshire

    Lincoln is the oldest parliamentary constituency in the country, formed in 1265 when England was reeling from the baronial rebellion against King Henry III.

    Born out of the fire of civil war and the seismic shift in the way the country is governed, in recent times it has echoed its history by reflecting the transfers of political power.

    Simply put, it’s a bellwether constituency which, more often than not, moves with national political swings. In 1979, Labour lost the seat to the Conservatives. In 1997, Labour retook the seat.

    Since then it’s been held by both Labour and Conservative MPs, sometimes with majorities of little over 1,000. So it’s both a bellwether and what’s known as an ‘ultra-marginal’.

    Lincoln Cathedral from the view of Castle Square with Magna Carta in the right hand corner
    Image caption,

    Lincoln is the oldest parliamentary constituency in the country

    But some areas of the High Street are dominated by charity shops and there has been a high turnover of restaurants. There are already plans in train to turn the House of Fraser building into a hotel, if the shop closes.

    Social media platforms are littered with anecdotes of overcrowding and long waits inside A&E at Lincoln County Hospital, sometimes for many hours.

    And then there’s the issue of immigration. RAF Scampton, now closed, is just outside the constituency boundary but the Home Office plan to house asylum seekers there has caused great concern among some of those living in Lincoln, especially north of the city.

    RAF Scampton entrance with a signImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    RAF Scampton is just outside the constituency boundary

    Karl McCartney won back the seat for the Conservatives in 2010 before losing to Labour’s Karen Lee in 2017 and then taking it again two years later.

    Compared with the rest of Lincolnshire, the city is more densely populated and has a younger demographic, thanks in part to the university population of more than 20,000.There are more younger families, first-time buyers and graduates creating start-up firms so issues like the cost of living, business rates and cost of childcare loom large.

    The High Street has a low proportion of empty shops compared with, say, Boston, and the Cornhill area has had a multi-million pound makeover, as has the indoor market. Direct trains to London were introduced in 2019 and the Lincoln Eastern Bypass opened the following year.

  12. Held in a historic venuepublished at 11:36 28 June

    The exterior of Chapter House in the foreground with Lincoln Cathedral in the backgroundImage source, Lincoln Cathedral
    Image caption,

    The Chapter House in Lincoln

    The debate will be held in the historic 10-sided Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral.

    Dating back to the 13th Century, meetings were originally held in here by the cathedral's governing body.

    It's now used for an annual gathering of the College of Canons and the stained glass of the building outlines the history of the cathedral.

    The candidates will gather in the same place the Lincolnshire Rising mob gathered in 1536, a group who were rebelling against King Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.

    Empty interior of Lincoln Cathedral's Chapter House with stained glass windows, stone ribs and two seats next to the middle columnImage source, Lincoln Cathedral
    Image caption,

    The 20 stone ribs in the Chapter House fan into a star-shaped vault

  13. Welcome to the Lincoln constituency election debatepublished at 11:13 28 June

    BBC Radio Lincolnshire Your Voice, Your Vote Election Debate banner

    BBC Radio Lincolnshire is hosting a debate with the candidates standing in the Lincoln parliamentary constituency.

    BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Political Editor Tim Iredale is hosting the discussion with five of the candidates.

    Taking part will be Conservative candidate Karl McCartney, Labour's Hamish Falconer, The Green Party's Sally Horscroft, Reform UK's Jamie-Lee McMillan and Liberal Democrat's Clare Smalley.

    Tim Iredale smiling with a suit and tie and glasses on on a beach with a microphone on his jacket
    Image caption,

    BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Political Editor Tim Iredale

    Other candidates standing for the seat are: Laura Ashby - Independent, Craig Marshall - Social Democratic Party, Linda Richardson - Workers Party of Britain and Charles Shaw - Liberal Party.

    The debate is due to begin at 12:00 BST.