Summary

  • Candidates for the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency are taking part in a live debate between 11:30 and 13:00 BST on Friday

  • The debate, hosted by Jonathan Vernon-Smith, is taking place at BBC Three Counties Radio in Dunstable

  1. Welcome to our live coverage of the Harpenden and Berkhamsted debatepublished at 10:10 28 June

    We will be bringing you live coverage of the Harpenden and Berkhamsted from 11:30 BST to 13:00.

    It will be hosted by BBC Three Counties' Jonathan Vernon-Smith.

    To watch the debate live click the play button above.

  2. The candidates standing in Harpenden and Berkhamstedpublished at 10:03 28 June

    Amy Holmes
    Political reporter, BBC Three Counties

    Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat)

    Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat)

    Dacorum-based Victoria Collins hopes to be the first Liberal Democrat MP of East and South East Asian descent.

    Her priorities include tackling the cost-of-living crisis to help struggling families and businesses, urgent action to protect local rivers from sewage and strong action to support the NHS.

    She has worked for the European Parliament and is tech entrepreneur. She now advises international firms on sustainable change.

    Outside of her political work, Ms Collins volunteers for several Dacorum organisations including Berkhamsted and Tring Welcome Ukrainians, Berkhamsted Citizens and Transition Town initiatives to support environmental projects.

    She grew up helping her mother on the shop floor and following her father’s work on sustainable social housing projects.

    She is a former student of International Economic Policy at Durham. She is known for campaigning against the expansion at Luton Airport with community groups and local councillors.

    Paul de Hoest (Green)

    Paul de Hoest (Green)

    Paul de Hoest joined the Green Party in 2009 because he wanted to secure a fairer and more sustainable world.

    He has lived in Berkhamsted for 27 years and is a former chairman of the campaigning organisation, Global Justice Now, which campaigns for policy changes towards a more equal world.

    After a career as a merchant navy officer, Mr de Hoest moved into finance, working for several commercial banking groups including 15 years at the Bank of England as an economist and risk management specialist.

    He enjoys making art, reading, gardening, lots of walking and being a grandparent.

    He stood at a general election in 2017 in South West Hertfordshire and, for four years, was one of two Green councillors on Berkhamsted Town Council, where he established several local initiatives to help the town lessen its energy carbon footprint.

    Along with the thermal imaging of houses, he has also been campaigning for electric vehicle chargers in Berkhamsted.

    Nigel Gardner (Conservative)

    Nigel Gardner (Conservative)

    Nigel Gardner grew up in Flamstead and went to Aldwickbury School and St Albans School before reading economics and modern history at Brasenose College at the University of Oxford.

    His family are from Harpenden. After university, Mr Gardner worked as a journalist for the BBC and as a spokesman for Sir Leon Brittan (formerly home secretary under Margaret Thatcher) in the European Commission.

    He is the co-founder and non-executive director of Flint Global consultancy, chairman of Sandstone Global production company, and co-founder of GPlus, a European public relations company.

    Mr Gardner has stood for election a number of times before - but for Labour rather than the Conservatives.

    He also worked as Labour's communications director in the European Parliament.

    He says he’s focused on issues of Green Belt development and stopping the expansion of Luton Airport.

    Zara Layne (Labour)

    Zara Layne (Labour)

    Zara Layne is a councillor on Bedford Borough Council, but also works for Labour MP Mohammad Yasin.

    She volunteers for Black Tom’s Big Lunch, organising community events and street parties as part of the national Great Get Together in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox.

    She helps with meal preparation and serving with Dine with Us on the Streets, working as part of a team of volunteers to prepare and serve meals and distribute clothing to homeless people in Bedford.

    She is an experienced caseworker, and has supported residents with issues relating to housing, social care, education, pensions and social security amongst others.

    Ms Layne also wants to make sure businesses thrive and for the cultural and arts sector to continue to grow in the constituency.

    Mark Patten (Social Democratic Party)

    Mark Patten (Social Democratic Party)

    Mark Patten is an NHS consultant anaesthetist who has worked for the NHS all his life.

    He has been relatively apolitical most of his life, but says "his despair" at the main parties has made him step up to stand as a candidate.

    He decided to stand for the SDP as he says it is the only party that is promoting a true alternative to the mainstream political parties.

    Having lived in the constituency for 26 years, he said his biggest concern was the lack of affordable housing for young people.

    His party wants to establish a British Housing Corporation to oversee and fund the construction of 100,000 social homes per year.

    He also wants to focus on improving social care for the elderly.

    Saba Poursaeedi (Reform UK)

    Saba Poursaeedi left the Labour Party two years ago and joined Reform UK as he considers it "the only party that will stick up for the working people of this country".

    He works in the social housing sector, and, as a passionate believer in free speech and open debate, also volunteers when he can with the Free Speech Union, Debating Matters and the Battle of Ideas Festival.

    If elected, he said he would make sure the character of the towns was preserved, including no more building on green belt, protection of small businesses and improving doctor surgeries.

    He lives locally and said his dad had to leave Iran when "madness and theocracy took over that beautiful country".

    He wants to make Britain the place that is safe and free and said he would fight for the youth in the constituency.

  3. What could we expect in Harpenden and Berkhamsted on 4 July?published at 09:32 28 June

    Amy Holmes
    Political reporter, BBC Hertfordshire

    Harpenden and Berkhamsted has been created using areas from three different seats. It’s covering Redbourn, Sandridge and Wheathampstead from the now-abolished Hitchin and Harpenden constituency, as well as Tring and Berkhamsted from South West Hertfordshire and some rural parts of Hemel Hempstead.

    Those three areas currently have Conservative MPs with South West Herts and Hemel Hempstead being constituencies where the Tories are carrying five-figure majorities at the moment. However, the Liberal Democrats fancy their chances, with leader Sir Ed Davey launching the party's local election campaign in Harpenden in April.

    The Lib Dems also run Dacorum Council, a local authority controlling a large part of this new constituency. It’s not a battleground seat for Labour, who named a candidate quite late in the day.

    Whatever happens though, there will be a brand new MP as none of the incumbent MPs in the area are standing in this seat.

    Bim Afolami and Gagan Mohindra have chosen to fight for Hitchin and South West Hertfordshire respectively, while Sir Mike Penning is retiring in Hemel Hempstead after 19 years.

    With parts of this constituency on the flightpath, Luton Airport's expansion plans will likely be a key campaign issue, along with more widespread concerns over NHS provision and housing developments.