Guildford’s Labour Candidate for the General Election Announced

Published on: 15 May, 2017
Updated on: 17 May, 2017

Howard Smith with supporters

Howard Smith has been announced as Guildford Labour’s candidate for the general election to be held on June 8.

Smith is a local man. Born and bred in Guildford, he went to school at Bellfields Primary and George Abbot and still lives locally with his wife and young son, Stanley. He unsuccessfully stood in Guildford South-East during the recent county council elections.

The new Labour candidate with his wife and young son Stanley.

Most famous for having been the drummer with new wave band The Vapors, Smith performed on their best known hit Turning Japanese, and subsequently worked for a large international music company, the BBC. He also ran the shop People Records off the High Street and is currently promoting live music at local venues.

Smith joined party members at their regular coffee morning at G Live and talked about why he wants to represent Guildford and Cranleigh in Parliament.

He said: “I love Guildford but I am concerned at the growing levels of inequality in our town. I’m worried that homes in Guildford are now unaffordable for so many people who grow up here, that there’s insufficient investment in our schools and hospitals and fear for how a Tory Brexit might impact on our local businesses and industries and on a personal note, how a policy of expanding grammar schools might affect the education of my young son.

“I really want to ensure we make things better for the many, not just the privileged few.”

Members were said to be “delighted with the selection”.

Merrow resident Kiran Butler said: “It is so good to have an enthusiastic candidate who, like me, has a young family and understands the issues that are important to me.”

Local GP David Burgess said: “I think Howard is a great candidate for Labour. He really cares about the less well off in our community.”

This could be the year of the political drummer? David Rowntree, drummer with Blur, has recently been elected as a county councillor in Norfolk.

The list of all the candidates standing is below: