By Angus Hill
A first year Economics and Politics student, Alan Belmore, has been selected as the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Hemsworth. He will be the youngest person to be standing in England at the next general election.
The 19-year-old will be up against Jon Trickett, a veteran Labour MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary to Gordon Brown. Despite entering the race in third place and needing to overturn a Labour majority of nearly 12,000 votes, Belmore is adamant that he has a real chance of winning.
In an interview with Vision, Belmore said: “I don’t think any constituency is safe. The expenses issue has rocked the system and I don’t think any seat can be written off. You’ve got to fight to win and I’m looking forward to taking the fight out there.” The teenager added that: “It is cities like Wakefield that have rejected Labour, don’t like the Conservatives and are turning to the Lib Dems instead”.
The hopeful MP denies accusations that he lacks the experience to represent Hemsworth. “People don’t like the status quo, and so people like myself are coming forward with young, fresh ideas. During my gap year [travelling and working for a leading accountancy firm] I gained great experience and the political experience I’ve acquired already will be invaluable.”
Belmore, who is also Treasurer for York Liberal Democrats, argues that it is his party who are encouraging youth participation in politics: “There will be a breadth of young candidates from the party at the next election, with about half a dozen who are under 25.”
Belmore joined the party in 2003, and became heavily involved in the 2005 election campaign in his native Sussex; citing the war with Iraq and the hike in tuition fees as triggers that inspired him to join the party.
In order to be selected for the role, Belmore had to be approved by the national party, before being able to apply for individual seats. “It’s certainly a complicated procedure, but at the end of the day, it’s entirely the local members who decide.”
The Vanbrugh College student is heavily involved in Liberal Youth, the student wing of the party, and is currently acting Chair. Yet despite his already high-ranking role in the party, Belmore rejects claims that this is an insider’s route up through the party and into a safe seat at the next election. “I haven’t been given a nod or a wink from Nick’s office. I’m young, I’m not a career politician: my motivation is to create change. I want to help the Lib Dems in whatever way possible to create change in the country and bring about a fairer society.”
Between now and election day, Belmore will be devoting all his energies to becoming the youngest MP yet and he is certainly feeling up for it. “I throw myself into everything I do at full pelt. I don’t do anything in half measures. I think that becoming a PPC at the age of 19 shows that I don’t like being in my comfort zone.”
“I’ve got a lot of support. A lot of friends from home are coming up to campaign for me, and so it’ll be great fun. I can’t wait for the election campaign itself to start now. I love election campaigns as it is the best chance that those of us in politics have to listen to people.”
The General Election is expected to take place May 6 this year.
Interview conducted by Daniel Goddard and Angus Hill
The Lib Dems have a significant number of younger MP candidates because they have a smaller pool of experienced candidates to choose from… but kudos to him nonetheless – that Labour majority is very likely to stick since it’s not just short of 12,000 votes but is actually 13,481 and is unlikely to see such a ridiculous swing (from 59% down to 25%?)
Surely this demonstrates everything that is wrong with British politics. Ordinary working people are so disengaged with politics that parties have to resort to teenagers to stand an MP’s, surely there are leaders in the community of Hemsworth who would be able to do a much better job.
I don’t care how much ‘political experience’ he has gained working for an accountancy firm, it is life experience that matters. He will not be able to relate to the problems of most of his constituencies: he hasn’t bought a home, he hasn’t tried looking for a full-time job, or having a family, or any of the worries that his constituents will care about.
Anybody who looks like they are dressing up in their dad’s clothes when they wear a suit shouldn’t really be a prospective MP, even if he has no chance of winning.
I know Hemsworth, and I know the people who live there. Honestly, they are not going to appreciate a young upstart with no ties to the area such as Alan Belmore coming into their town acting as though he knows all about the struggles this town has been through since the decline of the mining industry. I have met Jonny Trick quite a few times and hes hardly going to be quaking in his boots at this. Maybe if the Lib Dems want to be taken seriously and offer a real opposition they should field serious, experienced candidates. This just makes me even more worried that people in Hemsworth who are disenchanted with Labour are going to turn to the BNP or UKIP (they’re never going to vote tory after Mrs Thatcher).
The problem with politics is that there isn’t enough people involved especially young people. There are always complaints about how not having enough women in the House of Commons surely the same must be true about young people. The commons is meant to represent the British public then we need younger people in there to inject life into it and represent students like ourselves.
“I know Hemsworth, and I know the people who live there. Honestly, they are not going to appreciate a young upstart with no ties to the area such as Alan Belmore coming into their town acting as though he knows all about the struggles this town has been through since the decline of the mining industry.”
Your whole comment is so very true..
Anybody with an ounce of sense now knows that the banks are really in charge of the country. Always have been, them and big business.
If you really want to have a say in how the country is run, buy shares in those companies. Or become an MEP.
In my gap yah… I JUST CHUNDERED EVERYWHERE
Whilst I can see some of your points here I’d disagree that “this demonstrates everything that is wrong with British politics”. Surely the fact that there are young people looking at the state this country has got into over the past 20 or so years who are willing to take a stand, get actively involved in what has become a dirty and hated profession, and change things from the inside is a good thing? The new generation should be encouraged to bring their ideas to the table and listen to those that have more experience for advice and of course the people of Hemsworth.
As people have said it’s difficult for a young candidate to be respected enough to vote for. But Alan, now Chair of Liberal Youth across Britain will listen to the people of Hemsworth probably a lot more than others in what some would call a disenfranchised Labour area.
If you don’t trust the current ‘elite’ try talking to some of the real people getting into politics right now who are just as disgruntled as the majority of the country, talk to them and vote them in if you think they’ll listen to you.
He will get laughed out of there!!! Whats funny is that he actually feels he has a chance!!!! Bet he’s never stepped foot in Hemsworth, a teenager from Essex cannot represent one of the most economically deprived areas in the country. He will be a distant 4th or 5th behind the Torys, BNP and possibly UKIP! Labour could put up a pet rat with a red rosette in Hemsworth and it would get a 10000+ majority! On the plus side he won’t even need an orange rosette with hair like that!