HEALTH campaigner Neal Stote is to stand in the forthcoming General Election for the vacant Redditch parliamentary seat.
Mr Stote, former chairman of the now disbanded Save the Alex campaign group and part of OurNHS Worcestershire, will stand as a candidate for the National Health Action Party.
The NHA Party was founded by Dr Richard Taylor, the former doctor who held the Wyre Forest seat from 2001 to 2010 following outrage at the downgrading of Kidderminster General Hospital. He is now the party’s co-leader.
Mr Stote’s decision means the Redditch seat is wide open after sitting MP Karen Lumley decided not to contest it due to ill health.
Mrs Lumley defeated Labour’s then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in the 2010 General Election and then increased her majority in 2015.
Lively and consistently upbeat, she will be a hard act to follow for the Conservative Party candidate who will be chosen over the next few days.
Mr Stote said: “The usual political parties have let us down and are beholden to their Whips, not the people who elected them.
“And we are not a single-issue party because if it matters to the people of Redditch then it matters to me and I will ensure that their voice is heard in Parliament.”
Deborah Harrington of the NHA added: “We are in favour of a publicly-funded NHS and we are thrilled to be supporting Neal.
“The National Health Action Party is the only political party that has talked consistently about public service, public ownership, public accountability and public provision – and its importance in providing our services. We believe that our services, our ideals and our integrity are being destroyed and it is up to us stand up for the kind of society we want.”
