Conservative: Michelle Donelan

“I love our constituency and was first elected in 2015. My career was in marketing in the media sector. I went to a state school and was the first in my family to finish university. I do not believe there are enough opportunities for everyone in this country, which was in fact the reason I entered politics and the theme of my first speech in Parliament. I believe an MP’s job should be to knock down barriers, open doors and create opportunities for all.We need a fairer society and I want to help create this – a country where there is not just a safety net but also ladders up. My passion is education and I have campaigned for years to give Wiltshire schools more money. This proved successful and our schools are to get a minimum of £5,000 per pupil for secondary schools and £4,000 per pupil for primary schools. More than 4,000 children attended the last one. I was recently appointed as an Education Minister responsible for Children and Families.I visit a business a week, do democracy workshops in our schools, hold on average two surgeries a week and organise events from over 55s events to disability confident schemes.

I am a Christian who loves her family.”

Labour: Martha Anachury

“I am your Labour candidate for Chippenham constituency. If you want to help make a difference to our community you should vote for me. I believe in fairness and equality and my pledge to electors is that if I become your MP I will work as hard as I can to give you a voice and make this corner of Wiltshire an even better place to live. We have some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain and I want to keep it that way. Farmers will be among those hardest hit if Boris Johnson wins and pushes ahead with Brexit. It could lead to swathes of Wiltshire being abandoned by dairy and sheep farmers. This in turn will make it harder to resist pressure for large housing developments like those which already surround our main towns. Housing development should be sustainable and include employment opportunities to cut down the need for long distance commuting. I am opposed to services such as hospitals being moved further and further away at the same time as public transport is being cut. In addition to the environment my main priority will be education so we can offer the next generation the opportunities they need to do well in an increasingly competitive world.”

Liberal Democrat: Helen Belcher

Helen is a former teacher, school governor, computing professional and business owner. She has campaigned on numerous issues over the last decade, including press regulation reform, same-sex marriage and changing the way we elect our politicians. She was a witness at the 2012 Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics. Helen has worked for three years to ensure that the final Brexit deal is put before the people to approve, and believes that our best option politically, economically and socially, is to remain as full rule-making members of the EU. She sees how Brexit has paralysed the Conservative Government since 2015. She thinks that democracy does not require people to stop campaigning for what they believe in. Helen said: “Remaining in the EU will boost our economy, enabling us to resume our world-leading position in tackling the climate crisis as well as being able to invest much more in our over-stretched, local public services, including the NHS and social care, police and schools.” She wants more integrated public transport, work on dedicated routes for walkers and cyclists, and attract more GPs and nurses into the area. Hoping to become Chippenham’s next MP, Helen has a national reputation as a clear thinker, a strong speaker and a compassionate, dedicated campaigner.