A Royal Navy veteran and former Plymouth city councillor has become the latest politician aiming to unseat Tory Johnny Mercer in Moor View. Darren Winter has launched his bid to become Labour’s parliamentary candidate for the constituency at the next general election.
Mr Winter, a father-of-three who served for 17 years in the Senior Service, will vie with ex-Royal Marine Fred Thomas and current city councillor Charlotte Holloway for the right to take on ex-Army officer Mr Mercer. More candidates could yet come forward before mid-July when the party chooses who will succeed. Gareth Derrick stood down for health reasons earlier this year.
Mr Winter spent a portion of his childhood in care and moved to Plymouth when he was just 17 years old to join the Navy. He served as an engineer on the frigates HMS Coventry, Cornwall, Cumberland, Campbeltown and Richmond.
Mr Winter currently works in Devonport Dockyard for Babcock International. He raised his family in Plymouth’s Moor View and served as a city councillor for five years, in the St Budeaux ward, including a year as deputy lord mayor.
Setting out his five key priorities – the NHS, housing, jobs, the green economy and sorting out public transport – Mr Winter said he is committed to campaigning for funding for a super health hub in the north of the city. He also wants “properly funded and reliable” bus services, and for “the affordable housing people in Plymouth Moor View need”.
He said: “My life has been dedicated to serving my country, my city and my community, and today I am putting myself forward to be Labour’s candidate for the next general election. The people of Plymouth Moor View know what their areas need – decent public transport, improved health provision, and affordable housing.
“They want a local champion in parliament who lives here, works here, and has raised their family here. I will be that champion.”
Mr Winter said he wants to protect green spaces and secure funding to expand Plymouth’s housing insulation drive and clean, green energy production. He took the lead in getting Plymouth to become the first UK Waterfront City to obtain “plastic free” accreditation by substantially reducing the amount of single-use plastics we use.
As a councillor, he worked to get the council to declare a climate emergency, help Plymouth’s fishing community and businesses navigate Brexit challenges, campaigned to upgrade a library, and saved a community centre from closure. He said: “I have a proven track record and have worked hard to improve the lives of people in Plymouth, but there is still much work to do, and far more to achieve to make this an even better place to live.”
He was scathing about Mr Mercer, who has held the Moor View seat since 2015, and said: “The current Conservative MP’s political career is one of failure and broken promises. He has failed the people of Plymouth, he has failed veterans, and he has failed the country by propping up this incompetent Tory government. It’s time for someone with a stake in our community to step forward and make our voices heard in Westminster, I am that person.”
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