As polling day fast approaches, the Bracknell News has been speaking to residents at the busy Lexicon Shopping Centre about who they’re going to vote for.
Voters have revealed how they’re feeling about the general election tomorrow (July 4) – with some undecided, some switching allegiances, and some not voting at all.
Phil Bidwell, 54, a marketing consultant, said: “I will be voting for Labour this year, because I think we just need a bit of change, and the Conservatives have run out of ideas and energy.”
Phil Bidwell (left) and Freddie Bidwell (right) (Image: Ruth Lucas LDRS)
He previously voted for the Conservative MP James Sunderland, in 2019, but has been ‘disappointed’ about the government’s performance.
Phil said the NHS is the most important issue for him in this election. “It needs more care and attention. I’ve got elderly relatives who need support, and they don’t get the care they should do.”
Bracknell has historically been a Conservative seat, but polls have predicted it may swing to Labour's Peter Swallow.
He’s joined by his son, Freddie, 22, who said he’s note sure he’s going to vote. ‘I’m quite ambivalent about it, I suppose,’ Freddie explained.
Charlie, 18, said he wasn’t going to vote. The traffic control worker claimed he ‘doesn’t see the point in it[ …] I don’t think anything will change.’
Charlie, who's not planning on voting (Image: Ruth Lucas (LDRS))
Linda Washington, 50, said she felt uninspired by the options presented to voters this election.
Linda, who works as a chartered accountant, said: “I don’t think either are that great.
“I think we’ve got limited options, Labour and Tory are not what I’d want to vote for, their policies are not brilliant, but if I’d have to choose, I would go Tory because it’s the best of the worst.”
The main issues driving her vote being the NHS, defence and immigration.
Sandeep Gotten, 41, who works in IT software, has lived in Bracknell for five years. He said he was ‘not 100 per cent sure’ who he wanted to vote for, but ‘will definitely be voting’. He didn’t know names of the local candidates, but said he was ‘happy with whatever it is currently’.
Sales assistant Leanne, 29, also isn’t a fan of either of the two main parties and plans to vote for the Liberal Democrats. She explained: “I’ve always been against Conservative, they’re not great. I used to be Labour, but I feel like everything about them now is just very anti-conservative.”
She said she thinks the UK is ‘not a very happy place to be right now’, with lots of people ‘struggling and they shouldn’t be’.
This election is important to Leanne and her family. She said: “My mum who’s never voted is going to vote […] she says she’s going to vote Labour.
“Finally, people are actually going to vote.”
The candidates standing in the election are current Conservative MP, James Sunderland, Labour's Peter Swallow and the Katie Mansfield from the Liberal Democrats. There's also Emily Torode from the Green Party, Malcolm Tullett from Reform UK, Jason Peter Reardon from the Heritage Party and independent candidate Olivio Barreto.
Bracknell News will be live blogging the results tomorrow evening.
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