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On Saturday (July 16) Labour members will chose who they want to be the party’s candidate for Huddersfield at the next General Election.
In alphabetical order, the shortlist of four are: Hugh Goulbourne; Musarrat Khan; Mark Morris; and Harpreet Uppal. The hustings and vote will take place on Saturday afternoon at a venue just outside Huddersfield town centre.
Whoever wins the vote will replace Barry Sheerman as the Huddersfield Labour candidate. Mr Sheerman, however, remains Huddersfield’s MP until the next General Election.
Huddersfield has had a Labour MP since 1950 meaning whoever is chosen as the candidate has a strong chance of becoming the next MP. That’s why Huddersfield Hub took the unusual step of engaging with the candidates during a party selection campaign and invited them to answer five important questions. Here’s what they had to say.
Hugh Goulbourne
Why do you want to be the next Huddersfield MP and what qualities will you bring to the role?
Huddersfield needs someone who is ready to hit the ground running. I have the integrity, the commitment, the skills and the experience to be that candidate.
Huddersfield is my home. I care about our town. My daughters are growing up here and I want all families to be able to thrive.
As a local business champion, I have been working with Sir John Harman and other local leaders to ensure that we turn our cutting edge health technology into funding and new jobs for our town.
During the last Labour government, I created energy legislation which has helped nearly 300,000 low income households to massively reduce their energy bills.
Our town has so much potential, and I am confident that if I win the support of local members on Saturday then together we will find ways to secure more investment for community projects, grow our businesses and create new opportunities for our young people.
What is the most important issue facing the people of Huddersfield right now?
In 1997 the Labour Party’s slogan was ‘education, education, education’. Right now, for our town, I would say its ‘investment, investment, investment.’
Investment in transport and the town centre. Investment in businesses to bring new jobs here. Investment in young people and their aspirations.
What immediate measures would you like to see implemented to help people with the cost-of-living crisis?
One of the things the Government can do is to ensure that children have access to food clubs over the summer holidays. This is something I am working on providing alongside local community groups and businesses but the government could do so much more right now to support their work and the work of the council on this.
I also really hope the Government will follow the Labour Party’s advice by reintroducing the uplift in Universal Credit and finding additional ways to target help towards those who need it the most with their energy and transport costs.
What would you say to try to convince the new Prime Minister, whoever that may be, not to end the Government’s commitment to provide Levelling Up funding for Northern towns and cities like Huddersfield?
The Tories have had 12 years on this. First it was the Northern Powerhouse now it’s something else, 12 years and under the Tories there have been lots of slogans but nothing tangible has even started.
We here in Huddersfield must be ready to go and wrest the money out of the new Prime Minister. In recent years I have worked tirelessly with colleagues to ensure we finally got the TransPennine Rail Upgrade.
The investment in new tracks and electrification is only the start though, I want more buses not less, better roads and crucially a train service that allows our town to thrive.
We want clarity and transparency on existing funding schemes and a fair allocation of investment for our town. I believe that if I can get my connections plugged in. Pull ideas and investment together to make networks of success. And then follow up and nurture those connections and networks, then I will succeed in giving our new Prime Minister no wriggle room on the Tory Party’s promises.
What do you want to see from the regeneration of Huddersfield town centre and what’s your vision for the future of the town?
There are some really great things about our town and town centre right now. We are the home of one of the biggest contemporary music festivals in the world and an outstanding university.
A great football club, the home of rugby league and a thriving hub for small and medium businesses making everything from scalp cooling machines for cancer patients to gears for wind turbines.
We are a melting pot of people from all different cultures and backgrounds. We can build on that.
I get the sense that we in Huddersfield want to refresh our story, our agenda. A story rooted in our past but that reaches out to the future.
My mission, if I am lucky enough to have the privilege to represent this town as its MP, is to work with others here to hammer out this new message on behalf of Huddersfield to the world.
My vision is that when the time comes for me to hang up my boots as the MP for this town, I will have helped to improve the lot of working people by bringing in jobs and the prosperity that comes in with those jobs.
I will have encouraged businesses to invest more in our town, and I will have made sure that Huddersfield got its fair share of the public investment that up to now we haven’t had enough of.”
Musarrat Khan
Why do you want to be the next Huddersfield MP and what qualities will you bring to the role?
My working life has been solely dedicated to improving the lives of those within our community, creating opportunities for people to truly thrive. My bid for the Labour Party’s Parliamentary candidacy is the next natural step for me.
I have the leadership qualities, experience and values befitting of a Parliamentary candidate. I have a proven track record of achieving results for the people of Huddersfield. I have worked both on the ground and at a strategic level to address issues, and now want to use the office of the MP to achieve even more for our town, as well as effecting change on a national level.
What is the most important issue facing the people of Huddersfield right now?
The most pressing immediate issue is the cost-of-living crisis. We are witnessing sharp rises in fuel and food prices in a context of increased taxation and stagnant wages.
People are telling me that despite efforts to reduce their energy consumption they are facing unaffordable fuel bills. Some people simply cannot afford to travel to work and others who drive as part of their work/business cannot afford to continue.
Families are facing choices between putting food on the table and paying for other essentials. This is not a situation that is sustainable, and it is not only an issue for low-income households. Middle-income households are struggling too. The situation is set to worsen with impending energy price hikes in the autumn.
This winter our elderly, disabled and other vulnerable people are at an increased risk of death! Cold increases the chances of death in the elderly and vulnerable. There is no doubt we will see an excess of winter mortality in the UK, if the Government does not take stronger action.
It is ridiculous that up and down the country local authorities are considering providing ‘heat banks’ – warm places such as libraries where people can go to stay warm.
What immediate measures would you like to see implemented to help people with the cost-of-living crisis?
I welcome the Government’s one-off payments to assist people with fuel bills: however this is not a complete solution. The one-off payments in most cases will help with only one month’s fuel bill.
There is a lot more this Government could be doing. We need to learn from our neighbouring nations. In 2016 France banned the destruction of unsold food by supermarkets who were compelled to donate it, instead. This would, in part, assist with food poverty as well as contribute to tackling climate change.
I fully support Labour’s stance on removing VAT on fuel, and fully support the campaigns to increase HMRC’s mileage allowance. Government needs to re-introduce the energy cap and crack down on tax evasion by energy companies and other conglomerates.
Change cannot be delivered by simply shuffling the pack. We need a new deck!
What would you say to try to convince the new Prime Minister, whoever that may be, not to end the Government’s commitment to provide Levelling Up funding for Northern towns and cities like Huddersfield?
Fighting for fair funding for the North is one of the biggest challenges for any Northern Member of Parliament. Under the current Tory Government, the North of England has received less funding for infrastructure per capita.
I have a compelling argument, in terms of the nation’s economy, future health and budgetary pressures, to put forward to Government.
As a nation we are not fully utilising our strengths by stifling the North of England of much needed resources and remaining London-centric. I am ready to stand up for the town I love so much and take our fight to Westminster.
What do you want to see from the regeneration of Huddersfield town centre and what’s your vision for the future of the town?
We all want a thriving and vibrant town centre. I want Huddersfield town centre to be a source of pride for the people of Huddersfield, attracting visitors from neighbouring areas, and a place where people enjoy visiting for leisure and work.
There are opportunities to create better accommodation standards for those who wish to live in the centre and commute to other towns and cities for work.
Public engagement is central to the success of the town centre. If successful in my bid I will use my position to engage and facilitate a consensus amongst the people of Huddersfield, different sectors, and partners.
Mark Morris
Why do you want to be the next Huddersfield MP and what qualities will you bring to the role?
I want to be the next Member of Parliament because I believe in my knowledge of the people and the area. I wouldn’t want or attempt to be an MP in any place other than my hometown of Huddersfield.
I want to inspire a new generation of voters and reach out to that large cross-section of non-voters by giving them a real voice and an authentic lived experience of working and raising a family here.
I want to connect with their concerns about our town. My life story is a Huddersfield story. I want it to be repeated in areas where hope is constrained by the political choices made by our leaders.
I lead by example so I’m delighted to see my daughters repeating some of my character traits. I think I’ve inspired them to be excellent future Huddersfield residents and they have inspired me in return.
Watching my eldest daughter receive her degree at Huddersfield University in 2019 inspired me to apply and begin a degree in Pensions and Payroll.
Having done a vocational job for over 30 years, I am now mixing studying with campaigning to be Huddersfield’s next representative. We are never too old to learn and my life choices are designed to constantly improve my skills and abilities.
I believe I have the right blend of experience and temperament to be an excellent constituency-based MP.
What is the most important issue facing the people of Huddersfield right now?
In my election pledges, I have said Housing, Health and giving Hope to the next generation are the three essential things I would focus on. The issues affecting our mental and physical health services would be my highest priority.
Without a fully functioning health service, we are all only an accident away from needing the help of the NHS. At that point, we would witness first-hand the problems created and delivered by the Tory Government’s handling of the NHS.
It would be impossible to remain silent if you had been in this situation. These issues are not solely based on physical health. We must also focus on improving the standards delivered by the mental health services in our area.
The structure and the speed of changes happening at our local GP surgeries and the Huddersfield Royal infirmary are not the faults of the local staff. We rely on the NHS in our times of need. The political decisions with a clear destination of wholesale privatisation of the NHS is an obvious ambition of the Conservatives.
We must row back the changes dictated by starvation of funds and work with the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board to ensure they hear our local concerns.
We need to help them meet their stated aims of reducing variations in treatment quality and health inequalities without delay. I have heard a repeating theme of long patient waiting lists forcing people to turn to private health care options.
What immediate measures would you like to see implemented to help people with the cost-of-living crisis?
I would first ask for an immediate review and reduction of how standing charges are applied to commercial and domestic fuel bills.
This charge is often more expensive than actual energy usage and does not correlate with increased energy generation or distribution pressures. This change would drastically affect all our fuel costs, with small and medium size companies benefitting at the same time as domestic customers.
The Government should immediately reduce the percentage taken in fuel duty and tax at the petrol pumps by at least a double-digit figure to help distribution companies and commuters.
Another measure I would like to see is an uplift to Universal Credit to benefit those in low-pay occupations and families.
The Treasury Department uses the triple lock link when assessing changes to the state pension. The introduction of a similar policy linking universal credit to external statistics should be considered.
I want to reduce the time of these changes to Universal Credit and the state pension and move them to be considered at a bi-annual period. This measure would allow families and working people to be confident that the state understands and responds to the hardships the people of Huddersfield and other areas face.
A collision of global issues has created the cost of living crisis. First, the consequences of the pandemic combined with the pent-up demand released when lockdowns ended. Then Russia’s terrible invasion of Ukraine restricted and pressurised the availability of resources and energy.
The Government reluctantly intervened by implementing a windfall tax and a series of gimmicks which will be short-term fixes while large companies continue to make unexpectedly high profits from domestic and commercial energy.
What would you say to try to convince the new Prime Minister, whoever that may be, not to end the Government’s commitment to provide Levelling Up funding for Northern towns and cities like Huddersfield?
Obviously, I would prefer to speak to a Labour Prime Minister but we will have to wait until the next election before that is possible.
How the country’s funding is decided leads to massive variations in life chances and opportunity disparities. When you look at the amounts distributed over the past months and the locations where these funds have been allocated, I think there are political motives behind the choices that have been made based on who holds the area’s seat as a Member of Parliament.
Our country needs to be greater than the sum of its parts and the investment placed in areas like ours strengthens the resilience of the finances of the nation. We need to invest in infrastructure and training in a more coordinated way than sporadically choosing the bid-winning areas rather than through a long-term strategic plan.
I would demand more funding for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to ensure we have a larger say in how funds are distributed in our area through an open and democratic process.
What do you want to see from the regeneration of Huddersfield town centre and what’s your vision for the future of the town?
I think the regeneration of the town centre will be impacted by the cost of raw materials and delays in obtaining these goods mean things may change at a slower pace than planned.
When I began my electrical training in the early 1990s, the town centre buildings were a mixture of living accommodation, office spaces and retail outlets.
This was before the Polytechnic switched to becoming a University. Although the student population has created an influx of residents, there has been a decline in the number of retail outlets and office spaces in use.
We have empty buildings across the town centre at the same time as a housing shortage. I would like to see some creative thinking about converting some buildings into non-student living spaces and adapting others into social care facilities.
This would create additional reasons for footfall into the town centre for work rather than only depending on the traditional retail and office workers we imagine now. We need to redesign our town centre’s purpose especially in an era of home delivery and out-of-town shopping.
Harpreet Uppal
Why do you want to be the next Huddersfield MP and what qualities will you bring to the role?
I want to be Huddersfield’s MP because it is the best way I can fight for fairness, justice, and equality for the people and communities I grew up with.
Huddersfield is my home and I’ve experienced first hand the problems and issues we face. But I’ve also seen the great things that happen here every single day – whether that’s big events and projects, or just small acts of caring for and supporting each other.
I have been a part of the fabric of this town for my whole life – working for the NHS England, with charities, and most recently as a councillor for Ashbrow ward. I have a clear and open track record of achieving results on the ground, and campaigning for better local and national policies that affect us.
When I stepped down from Kirklees Council, I was honoured by the people from across the political spectrum who said I had integrity, honesty, and worked effectively with everyone.
These are vital skills for an MP. I have wide work and life experience, and I know that a good MP never stops listening and learning.
Most importantly, as well as the skills to be effective, I have a strong set of morals and principles and I’m really clear about what they are: fairness, justice, and basic human dignity.
I can’t promise you’d always agree with me as your MP, but I can promise that you can always trust what I say, and I’ll always be clear and honest about what I believe.
What is the most important issue facing the people of Huddersfield right now?
The cost-of-living crisis is affecting people right now: things are tough even for those who a generation ago would have been stable. It’s untenable and unacceptable.
The climate crisis is already changing all our lives and is the biggest issue we need to resolve, as a society and as individuals.
We also know the town centre is important to our residents and I will fight for a better deal for towns like ours in Parliament. I will also work closely with the local council to ensure we develop plans that our residents want.
And finally we need to ensure we have health services that meet the needs of our residents including hospital and primary care services. I will continue to fight for the right services for our town.
What immediate measures would you like to see implemented to help people with the cost-of-living crisis?
We need to tackle the cost-of-living crisis in two ways: by curbing inflation so the cost of things stabilises, and by getting more money in people’s pockets.
Our key workers – all those people we clapped on our doorsteps for in 2020 – need a pay rise. The minimum wage should be a real living wage, which is enough to keep a working adult and their family out of poverty.
The fact that the majority of people claiming social security are in work – often in more than one job – is a national scandal, and completely against the principles of any reasonable person.
I would ultimately like to see energy companies, moving to cheap renewable energy. But as an immediate measure, I would freeze energy prices.
After energy, the biggest cost a lot of people talk about is childcare, so I would want the government to really invest in a high-quality early years sector, which sets young children up for school and life without bankrupting their families. That way, everybody wins.
The government showed in the pandemic that it can step in during times of crisis: I would ask it to do so again. We cannot accept a society where the pay of billionaires is going up, but a family with two working adults can’t afford a packet of butter.
What would you say to try to convince the new Prime Minister, whoever that may be, not to end the Government’s commitment to provide Levelling Up funding for Northern towns and cities like Huddersfield?
I would make the argument that the North has been systematically underfunded and unfairly treated for decades. That’s not just a problem with Tory governments, but it is this Tory government that have been responsible for the double whammy of underfunding and worse austerity in the North for the last twelve years.
So I’d lay that out clearly, and I’d also make the case for all the brilliant things that go on in Huddersfield, in Yorkshire, and across the North. There is a really sound business case for investing in us – the return would be much greater. Socially, economically, culturally – it makes sense.
But we can’t put all our eggs in the Levelling Up basket. So we actually need a programme of local and regional investment and organisation.
When I helped write Andy Burnham’s manifesto for Greater Manchester, we didn’t just say ‘let’s hope the government give us more cash.’
We were ambitious about what the region could achieve for itself. I’d want to bring that same attitude to Huddersfield, and as a former councillor, I’d use my experience of local grassroots projects to make that a reality.
Ultimately, I believe a Labour government would be much better for Huddersfield and Northern towns and cities.
What do you want to see from the regeneration of Huddersfield town centre and what’s your vision for the future of the town?
I would want to see a town centre where units are rarely empty, and if they are, it’s not for long. Where people of all ages and backgrounds feel comfortable, safe, and included. Where businesses of all kinds want to be located in the town centre. Where public transport is effective and accessible, physically and financially. I want the town centre to be a regular part of people’s lives, where the benefits of going into town outweigh the convenience of internet shopping.
Our town centre should also be a key part of our fight against climate change and environmental damage: where we incorporate green lungs of the community into our urban centre, and there are incentives for businesses to operate in a greener way around energy and waste.
I would want there to be a sense of civic pride: the town is clean and attractive not because we pay teams of enforcers, but because everyone has a stake in it.
I’d want practical things too, like good disabled access to shopping areas, clean and accessible public toilets, and public spaces for art, events, and music.
When I was a councillor, I was part of the committee that scrutinised lots of the council’s plans, so obviously I’d want to work constructively with the council as a major stakeholder.
As an MP, you don’t physically have the power to commission building work or take over empty units. You have to be able to articulate your vision, and get the people who do do that – the council, businesses, landowners – to buy into it. I’ve done that all my life, and I’ve done that as a politician in Huddersfield.
