Election hustings planned for the final week of the election campaign at Southport’s King George V college have been cancelled after Labour candidate Liz Savage and Conservative candidate Damien Moore both withdrew from the event.
Event organisers said they were disappointed, and that the reasons given for the no-show were “petty”.
Liberal Democrat candidate John Wright had already agreed to attend, and said: “This really isn’t on. The voices of young people are some of the most important in this election. I know that they will have wanted to quiz candidates on a wide range of issues, such as climate change, Brexit, education, jobs and housing. Maybe Liz and Damien thought there just weren’t enough votes in the room to make it worth their while attending”.
Mr Wright went on: “I was told Liz said she wouldn’t attend unless Damien did. I really don’t get it. Why wouldn’t you want to do this? What have they got to hide?”.
In the first hustings event of the campaign at the Southport Hebrew Congregation synagogue, both the Labour and Tory candidates came under fire from the audience – Damien for his now discredited claim to have secured £25 million for Southport, Liz for failing to say where she stood on Brexit, and for her party’s failures on antisemitism.
Meanwhile, Southport voters have a final chance to put their questions to candidates at the last hustings of the campaign this Monday, 9th December, at 7.30pm at Christ Church, Lord Street.
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