The general election campaigns for all the political parties are now in full swing. It only seems like a matter of months since election fever last gripped North Yorkshire during the campaigning for mayor of North Yorkshire – and that’s because it is. Rishi Sunak’s surprise decision to announce a summer election on 22 May caught many people – both members of his own party and his opponents – off guard.
As leading figures debate one another on the television and candidates take to the airwaves, the parties are now announcing their manifestos. Yet regardless of attempts to shift public opinion with a variety of policies, the polls seem to be firmly fixed in one direction.
The Conservatives hope, of course, that they can beat the polls. Nowhere will the fight be more intense than in the Prime Minister’s own constituency. However, confidence in Sunak’s electoral success, both nationally and in his own backyard, has come into doubt since his early departure from D-Day commemorations caused condemnation from all sides and forced him into apologising.
The Liberal Democrats hope to make the most of this and are campaigning hard to unseat the Prime Minister, as the other parties are. Focusing on successes in the 2022 local elections (where the party came joint second on seats won but third behind Labour on vote share), and on recent by-election wins, the Liberal Democrats candidate Daniel Callaghan wants to make clear he is doing all he can to win over voters.
Meeting the candidate Daniel Callaghan
I spoke to Callaghan shortly before the launch of the Liberal Democrats manifesto and wanted to know what prompted him to want to be their candidate in this election?
“I’m standing as the Lib Dem candidate for Richmond and Northallerton so I can champion the people who live here in our beautiful patch of North Yorkshire and fight for the fairer deal we deserve. I’m proud to have been born and raised here and I know firsthand what makes this place tick, but over the last decade I’ve become increasingly concerned about the way our area has been taken for granted.
“On Rishi Sunak’s watch we’ve lost too much of what is precious to us – our only A&E department at the Friarage Hospital Northallerton has been shut, transport links severed and now our school buses are under threat. Meanwhile, our countryside has been trashed, and our rivers and streams are among some of the most polluted waterways in the country.
“Added to that, our farmers are being shortchanged and the small businesses that are the life blood of our market towns are left struggling with the fallout from the damage this chaotic Conservative government has done to our economy.
“I can’t stand by and let the needs of the people of Richmond and Northallerton be put on the back burner for another four years. Sunak’s priorities clearly lie elsewhere, but as a strong community champion I’ll put my constituents centre stage and work tirelessly to ensure they get the fair deal our area deserves.”
I asked Callaghan what he felt distinguished him from the other candidates standing? He said that having been born and brought up in the local area, coming from a military family based at Catterick Garrison, being educated in Richmond and serving as a member of the local youth council, he wanted to “combine those local roots with insider experience of working for Lib Dem MPs, both on casework issues in their constituency offices, and at the heart of Westminster”.
Callaghan also hit out at his Labour opponent, arguing that he was “the only opposition candidate” mounting a campaign against Sunak. “Labour have written us off as a ‘non-battleground seat’, meaning their supporters are being sent to campaign in other places around the North East.”
Given the direct nature of Callaghan’s claims I asked Labour’s candidate Tom Wilson if he would like to respond. Wilson said:
“Labour are running a full throttled campaign in Richmond and Northallerton, campaigning our hardest to cause a real upset. The polls, bookies, tactical voting websites, county council elections, and recent mayoral election results are all in alignment, Labour are the only party able to beat the Conservatives here.”
The main issues of the campaign
I next asked Callaghan what he considered to be the main issues in the campaign. He said he was campaigning “for a total rural rethink, with fairer funding for essential services that impact everyday life”.
Callaghan also emphasised that, “I’m championing rural small businesses, farmers and market towns, and I’m fighting to bring back the constituency’s only A&E department in Northallerton and put an end to the sewage scandal once and for all”.
Farming and the environment
Given the importance of farming to the local economy in Richmond and Northallerton, I wondered what Callaghan’s position on it was and what he would do to help farmers in the local area.
“I’m incredibly proud of our farmers here in North Yorkshire,” Callaghan told me. “They are the front line in the fight against climate change, flood prevention and maintaining our breathtaking landscape. All the while producing high quality food for our tables, all year round.”
“But after nearly a decade of Conservative neglect and failed rural policies, it’s clear that our countryside is in dire need of help. They pretend to be on the side of our hardworking farmers, but their record in office suggests otherwise.”
Callaghan went on to attack “the botched transition away from the Basic Payment Scheme” which he argued had helped to drive farmers out of the industry, adding that “the failed deal with the EU has severely damaged their ability to export to their main markets in Europe, and new trade deals with Australia and New Zealand will undermine animal welfare and environmental protection, undercutting responsible British farming”.
Callaghan argued that if he were to be elected, he would have three priorities for farmers, namely:
- increasing the farming budget by £1bn a year “to support nature-friendly farming and to bring down food prices”
- reforming the visa and seasonal worker system, and
- working to “renegotiate the Australia and New Zealand agreements to prevent undercutting and ensuring all imports meet UK environmental, climate and animal welfare standards”.
On the interlinked topic of the environment, I asked Callaghan how important he believed it to be and what he would do to protect it, especially the River Swale?
“I’m so lucky to have grown up in this beautiful part of the world. But under the Tories, our countryside has suffered, and they’ve failed time and time again to tackle the scandal of sewage discharges into our rivers and streams”, he began.
“Since Rishi became our MP, the Swale and Ure have become some of the most polluted rivers in the country, and in 2023 we ranked in the worst 3% of constituencies in terms of sewage dumps into our waterways. Sewage was dumped 5,114 times into our waterways here in Richmond and Northallerton in 2023. Just awful.”
Callaghan went on to argue that Sunak instructed Conservative MPs to vote against a Lib Dem motion in parliament that would have criminalised water companies that fail to tackle spills into our rivers, attacking the Labour Party for “shamefully abstaining on the vote”. Yorkshire Water, he further pointed out, had been allowed to increase bills by 6%.
“I want to put a stop to this scandal immediately, and the Liberal Democrats have the boldest manifesto on cleaning up our rivers and coastlines. I want to replace the toothless Ofwat with a stronger new regulator, ban all water company executive bonuses, and introduce Blue Flag status for rivers. This would set legally binding targets to prevent sewage dumping in those sites, giving special protected status for swimmers and wildlife.”
Housing and transport
Housing is an issue that impacts constituents across Richmond and Northallerton. What would Callaghan do if elected to help constituents ensure they had a home to live in?
“There is a housing crisis in our area, and across the country. Not enough homes have been built that are affordable, the provision of social rented homes is too low and our poor-quality housing stock is driving up emissions and impacting those most vulnerable to the cost of living crisis”, Callaghan began.
“The Lib Dems have pledged to build at least 150,000 new council and social homes a year, giving local authorities the powers to end the right to buy in their areas, and requiring them to have a landlord licensing scheme.
“I also strongly believe we should increase occupancy of existing town centre dwellings by opening up the High Street, enabling flats to be occupied above retail units. Councils should be given greater powers here to intervene when units have been left empty for too long. I know that this would make a great deal of difference to friends of my own generation who are looking for a smaller-sized first home and like being in the centre of town.
“I also want to control the growth of second home and holiday let ownership by lobbying for better regulation and a licensing scheme. Control of this sector will create more housing for locals.”
On the issue of transport, Callaghan argued he wanted there to be a total “rural rethink” about the funding for local transport, with an end goal of single ticket integrated public transport system across North Yorkshire. Callaghan also emphasised that if elected he would push the newly elected mayor of North Yorkshire, David Skaith, to focus on bus routes as “getting to and from hospitals and the new Integrated Care Campus at Catterick is a big concern for the people I’m speaking to, who don’t or can’t drive and feel increasingly more isolated as bus routes are cut back”.
Working with David Skaith
Given the importance of working with the new mayor of North Yorkshire, particularly on transport, I asked Callaghan how he would build a relationship with Skaith.
“We absolutely have to work together. Our Lib Dem candidate in the mayoral election, Councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, has built a good relationship with David. I know that he is keen to build on that and work with others. David doesn’t know this constituency particularly well, so I’d be keen to liaise closely with him where it makes sense, for example seeking his support for plans to rejuvenate the Old Grammar School building in Richmond.”
Callaghan’s message and polling day
Concluding my interview with Callaghan, I asked what he wanted his final message to be for voters reading this interview?
“I’m born and bred here, and I know what makes this place tick. After years of Tory neglect and being shortchanged on everything from healthcare to the rural economy, I’m standing as a strong Yorkshire champion who is fighting for a fair deal for Richmond and Northallerton, and unlike others, I’ll be in it for the long-haul”, he responded.
Clearly Callaghan is passionate about this constituency, and he believes he is the person best placed to win it. Of course, it will be up to the voters to decide whether he is right and whether they should vote for him or not.
The most important point however is that no matter who you vote for that you make your voice count and vote, both in Richmond and Northallerton and across the country on 4 July.
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