I am a resident of Richmond and a strong supporter of the policies of the Social Democratic Party.

Full statement

Who you might ask are the SDP? Didn’t they disappear years ago? In a word, no! The party, formerly led by David Owen, is alive and well and experiencing a strong revival under its brilliant leader, William Clouston. Polls show that its policies - economically left leaning and socially conservative - are actually those that the public wants.

The SDP believes in taking the railways and utilities back into public ownership, an expansion of nuclear power to help solve the energy crisis and the provision of affordable housing. It promotes policies that support the family and community. It is against the denigration of British culture and history in schools, universities and institutions. It supports freedom of speech and thought in universities. It also seeks to control mass immigration reducing net migration to 50,000 annually.

As an writer, university lecturer and educational publisher, I lived and worked overseas in various countries for many years and I always enjoyed returning to the cultural diversity of my home city, London. But the inexorable rise of mass migration and the pressure it places on health services, housing and schools is now unsustainable and needs to be controlled.

Finally, I find the fossilised two-party system not only intolerable, but also very unhealthy for democracy. Many voters are apathetic believing they only have a choice between two parties they dislike or despise. The SDP wants to end the unfair electoral system that restricts fresh ideas and new thinking. The only way to end this discredited system is to vote for the party and policies you want.