My name is Gareth Snell.

Full statement

I am a union official, community campaigner and Labour’s candidate in the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election.

Fighting for working people is in my blood. I’ve stood up for workers’ rights on the picket line, marched against pay freezes and fought factory closures.

It’s also part of my job to speak up for the hundreds of thousands of NHS workers that my union represents, so I know how important our National Health Service is to both patients and staff.

I’m a community campaigner on and off the job. I’ve fought for the local hospital, campaigned to reinstate local bus routes and get potholes fixed.

My background makes me a firm and fair negotiator on the issues that matter; from immigration to employment. I will make sure Brexit means exit from the EU and I will fight to protect jobs and workers’ rights in the Stoke-on-Trent every step of the way.

The Potteries is my home. It’s where I met my wife and it’s where my daughter, Hannah, was born and goes to school. My family and I chose to make our life here and it’s the best decision we ever made.

I promise to put Stoke-on-Trent first in everything that I do – whether people in Westminster like it or not. Elect me and I’ll be a voice for locals, not for London.