31 May 2024
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden took time out from the dramas of Westminster to enjoy a kickabout in the sun with Parliamentary candidate Nigel Gardner.
The Hertsmere MP, who lives in the St Albans district, met with Harpenden and Berkhamsted Tory hopeful Nigel at the all-weather pitch used by the Wheathampstead Wanderers.
Funded by the Premier League and The Facilities Fund, Sport England and the 948 Sports Foundation, the £200,000 pitch opened in 2014 following a fundraising campaign led by then-vice chair of the parish council Annie Brewster.
Oliver followed in the footsteps of party chairman Richard Holden to become the second big-name Tory MP to lend his support to Nigel’s campaign.
Before trying and failing to score against the Wanderers’ youth team goalie, the two politicians met for a coffee and a chat at the nearby Brewhouse together with St Albans candidate James Spencer.
Back on the agenda was the issue of VAT on independent school fees, a Labour policy which Nigel says has proved surprisingly important to voters unhappy with the thought of funding the extra cost.
“It’s inconsequential in the amount of money they’re going to raise, because they’re not actually going to raise any money, they’re probably going to lose money,” Nigel explained.
“But it’s extremely consequential in what it does to people’s lives, and not just parents who struggle to send their kids to private education, also those parents who are trying to get their kids into top state schools, because it’s going to make the competition fiercer.”
Despite the very real threat posed by Liberal Democrat candidate Victoria Collins in the constituency, Oliver repeats the Tory mantra that this General Election is a fight between the Conservatives and Labour.
He said: “There’s only two people who can walk through the door of number 10 Downing Street, Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak, and I think people need to focus their minds on that.
“I think in a seat like this, I think the evidence is clear actually that in the end people will probably have to choose between a Labour and a Conservative candidate.
“Of course people have frustrations about what’s happened over the past five years, but this isn’t about the past five years, this is about the next five years.”
As a local resident, what does he feel are the top issues for the St Albans district?
“Number one, the Green Belt. That is exactly what’s at risk in this election. If you look at Labour’s policy, they’ve got a cunning policy, which is they say, there’s all this Green Belt that people don’t actually like, so we’re going to designate it Grey Belt.
“Well what do you think they’re going to do? They’re going to designate the Green Belt as Grey Belt and they’re going to build all over it. The thing that makes this area so great is we have the best of both worlds, we’ve got lovely countryside, easy access into London, but ultimately they don’t care about areas like this. This isn’t where the roots of the Labour Party lie.
“Number two is the expansion of Luton Airport, and I know that in Nigel you’ll have a very strong candidate who’s actually going to fight against it.”
After visiting the all-weather pitch, there was just enough time to check out the site of the new Wanderers club house off Butterfield Road, which should be finished in the autumn.
