The election has finally been called, it’s time for change

Rishi Sunak has finally plucked up the courage to call a general election on 4th July.

This is an opportunity for change across Wakefield and Rothwell.

This is the chance to turn the page on 14 years of Tory Governments who have tried to kick the hope out of the country and vote for change.

They’ve left the country worse off than when they started.

Crime has been left unpunished with 90% of crimes now going unsolved.

Our NHS is on its knees with ambulances failing to turn up and 7.5 million people languishing on waiting lists - triple the size since the last Labour Government.

Our schools are crumbling and after 14 years of Tory Government we have an acute workforce crisis, with teacher vacancies soaring and scores of experienced staff leaving.

Lack of action on sewage has left our rivers and beaches, like the Rivers Calder and Aire in our area, as open sewers with the Tories too weak to hold water companies accountable.

Mortgages and food prices have gone through the roof while taxes are at their highest level in 70 years.

We simply can’t afford five more years of Conservative chaos and decline.

There is a clear choice at this election.

More decline and division with the Tories, or hope and stability with a changed Labour Party back in the service of working people.

We have already set out our first steps towards ushering in an era of national renewal.

Delivering economic stability with tough spending rules to grow the economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible.

Cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more appointments each week, during evenings and weekends, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes.

Launch a new Border Security Command with hundreds of new specialist investigators and use counter terror powers to smash the criminal gangs.

Switch on Great British energy, a publicly owned clean power company to cut bills for good and boost our energy security, paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.

Crack down on antisocial behaviour, which is a scourge in towns and cities like Wakefield, by employing more neighbourhood police, paid for by ending wasteful contracts.

Recruit 6,500 new teachers to give our children the best start in life, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools.

Together we can stop the chaos. Together we can turn the page. Together we can rebuild our country.

Two years ago, Wakefield put its trust in me and I delivered: saving the King Street Walk-in centre, securing 60 new police officers and PCSOs for the area and fighting to improve our local public transport.

Wakefield and Rothwell deserves a Labour Government. A Government which will harness the potential of our area and have faith in its people to back them and their public services.

This election is the most important General Election in a generation. This is a chance to end the decline of Tory Governments and usher in a Labour government, sleeves rolled up, fixing problems with a long-term plan for change.

This is our chance to get Britain’s future back.