Dear Constituent,

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has been reselected as the Labour candidate for Denton and Reddish at the next general election.

Labour members in all seven wards that make up the Denton and Reddish constituency – Audenshaw, Denton North East, Denton South, Denton West, Dukinfield, Reddish North and Reddish South – voted to reselect Gwynne in a series of meetings over September and October.

Gwynne was also unanimously backed by the various social societies and trade union workplace branches linked to Denton and Reddish Labour Party.

According to the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, the next general election will be in May 2022, but recent developments in Parliament mean that an earlier election is seen as quite likely.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“I want to say a huge thank you to members in all seven of the Labour Party Branches across Denton and Reddish who voted to reselect me.

 

“It has been such a great honour to serve my local community in Parliament for the past 14 years and I look forward to contesting the seat again at the next general election, whenever that might be.

 

“At that election, I’ll be making the case for a Labour Government so that we can leave behind the past nine years of Tory austerity, that have made life tough for so many people across Denton and Reddish.”

Councillor Oliver Ryan, Chair of the Denton and Reddish Constituency Labour Party (CLP), said:

“I’m sure I speak for the whole CLP when I say I’m delighted Andrew has been unanimously reselected by our diverse range of members, branches, trade unions and affiliates.

 

“Andrew is a well loved local lad with a strong track record of service to our people and our party and we’re very proud to have him representing us across both our Tameside and Stockport communities.

 

“Our entire constituency party stands behind him ready for a General Election, whenever that comes.”

 

As I write, I have just come back from a very unusual occasion – the State Opening of Parliament. It wasn’t just unusual for the normal reasons of people dressed in robes holding golden sticks and the presence of such individuals as the Rouge Dragon Pursuivant, the Maltravers Herald Extraordinary and the Keeper of Her Majesty’s Privy Purse (all real jobs). This pomp and circumstance is a feature for every Queen’s Speech and often takes place every year.

 

What made this particular State Opening unusual was that it was happening at all. At each State Opening, the Queen reads out a speech written by the Government, which sets out the policies that they want to bring forward in the next parliamentary session (which usually lasts one year).

 

You might be thinking, what’s so wrong with that? Well, Boris Johnson currently has a majority of -45 and has lost every single vote in Parliament since he became Prime Minister. He is also seeking a general election, which would end the session that the Queen just opened, making the whole of the ceremony today completely pointless.

 

Why then did Boris Johnson drag the Queen to Parliament this week? I think the answer is obvious – he wanted her to deliver a pre-election party political broadcast for the Conservative Party. He forced the Queen to set out a set of policies that he knows he can’t get through Parliament.

 

And let’s be clear, nothing that the Tories put into the Queen’s Speech actually undo the heavy cuts that have damaged communities and public services in Tameside.

 

For instance, while the Conservatives have been keen to portray this Queen’s Speech as a “law and order Queen’s Speech”, the reality is that they’ve cut over 20,000 police officers since coming to power. Even under their plans to train new officers, there would still be almost 1,000 fewer officers in Greater Manchester.

 

Similarly, on schools Johnson claims he’s going to “level up” school funding but recent analysis shows that even with the extra funding promised, many schools will still have to make cuts and that these cuts will be deepest in the least affluent areas. For instance, schools in Tameside will have lost out on £39.2 million between 2015 and 2020 – a loss of £247 per pupil.

 

The more you look into Boris Johnson’s promises and pledges, the more they unravel. Luckily, I think that people here in Tameside will be able to see this Queen’s Speech for what it is – a cynical stunt by a desperate Government.

 

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has opened nominations for his 2019 Local Business Awards.

Gwynne is encouraging constituents to nominate their favourite local businesses from across the constituency for the awards, which celebrate their contribution to the local economy and communities.

Last year, over 3,000 nominations were received, putting forward 194 independently-run businesses from across the Denton and Reddish constituency for the award. There were winners for each of the 7 wards that make up the constituency and one overall winner.

Gwynne will announce the winner of the award for Small Business Saturday on 7th December.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“I am absolutely delighted to launch this year’s Local Business Awards and would encourage all of my constituents to get involved and nominate their favourite local businesses.

 

“Last year’s awards were a fantastic way of celebrating the contribution of local businesses in Denton, Audenshaw, Dukinfield and Reddish, and I hope this year that even more constituents and businesses get involved.

 

“Whilst the awards coincide with Small Business Saturday, I think it’s important that we show our appreciation for our fantastic local businesses all year round.”

You can nominate your favourite local businesses on Andrew Gwynne’s website: https://andrewgwynne.co.uk/local-business-awards-2019/

All nominees need to be in the Denton and Reddish constituency. If you are unsure if this is the case, please enter the business’s postcode here.