Meet the general election candidates for Banbury: Victoria Prentis (Conservative)

We asked all the general election candidates standing for the Banbury seat to submit 300 words on why you should vote for them.
Victoria PrentisVictoria Prentis
Victoria Prentis

This is the pitch from Victoria Prentis, representing the Conservative Party (all the other candidates can be found on our website):

As someone who was born in Banbury, it has been a real privilege to serve as the MP for my home constituency for the past four years.

This is the most important general election in my lifetime and the third time in four years that I have had to ask for readers’ support.

Since the 2016 referendum, I have repeatedly voted to leave the EU.

Regrettably, not all MPs have agreed with me and electing a new parliament is now the only way to get Brexit done and move our country forward.

For years, we have been campaigning for our fantastic Horton General Hospital.

Together, we have made real progress in securing A&E and paediatrics but our community-wide effort to restore obstetric-led maternity services must continue.

It’s also vital we develop a new vision for our Horton and, if re-elected, I will continue to press for new funding to ensure that its services are sustainable for the future.

Under a Conservative government, Thames Valley Police is set to recruit an extra 600 officers with 183 joining the force in 2020/21.

As a longstanding campaigner for fairer funding in education, I’m delighted that all Banbury schools will receive an average increase per pupil of over five per cent in 2020/21.

Following Cherwell District Council’s £60 million investment in Castle Quay, business rates for small retailers are also set to be cut and a new tax relief introduced for pubs, cinemas and music venues to help Banbury’s town centre thrive.

The choice in this election is clear. Banbury is a seat the Conservatives must win to get Brexit done and move our country forward.

We can’t afford to go back to square one but that’s exactly where a Corbyn-led government would take us. I hope that I can count on readers’ support on December 12.