My name is Chris Lucas and I have the honour of representing the Liberal Democrats for the Hitchin Constituency at the next general election.

Full statement

I live in the middle of Hitchin with my two sons, both of whom attend Hitchin Boys School. I have had a rich and varied career, however I have been teaching for the last 10 years and currently teach Business and Law at North Herts College. In May 2022, I was elected to North Herts Council, representing Hitchin Priory ward and was re- elected in May 2024.

As a parent and a teacher, it will come as no surprise that education is very close to my heart, but I also have a keen interest in the environment, civil liberties and health and well-being. As a keen cyclist and frequent train user, I know how important it is to have roads and rail services that are fit for purpose for all of us which is a particular problem for Hitchin and the surrounding area.

After 14 years of Tory rule, our country is in a terrible state. The cost-of-living crisis is showing no sign of going away. Interest rates are still sky-high, raw sewage is being released into our rivers, they have backtracked on their environmental promises and they failed to build enough houses to meet the needs of ordinary people. The governments of Johnson, Truss and Sunak have failed our country and they must not be allowed to govern us anymore. Keir Starmer’s Labour’s idea of change is more of the same with no actual vision for our country; no answers to address the cost-of-living crisis, the climate emergency or the mess left behind by Brexit. Hitchin and our country as a whole are crying out for a change; new leadership, fresh ideas and bold, creative approaches to solving some of the problems we face today.

With more Liberal Democrat MPs, you can guarantee that investing in our NHS, tackling the cost-of-living crisis and protecting the environment will be at the core of what we fight for. We will push the government to foster closer relations with the EU and not make policy based on dogma and ideology.

If elected, I promise to be the fresh start and strong voice that Hitchin deserves; I will work tirelessly on behalf of the people within the constituency, not the vested interests of fat cat city bankers or trade union puppet masters.