Pictured (L-R) Alliance Party Antrim candidates John Blair, Sian Mulholland, and Danny Donnelly.
Sian Mulholland, John Blair and Danny Donnelly have been officially nominated by the Alliance Party to run in North Antrim, South Antrim and East Antrim respectively.
Speaking after submitting his nomination papers Danny Donnelly said:
“East Antrim needs positive representation at Westminster that will lead change rather than blocking it. I want to see environmental protections for this area of outstanding natural beauty. Alliance MPs will be pushing the new government to reform the Stormont institutions to remove one party vetoes.”
Sian Mulholland said:
“I am ready to offer the people of North Antrim a positive, progressive choice. I want to see North Antrim prosper. To be an even safer, more welcoming and vibrant place to live than it already is. I want to continue to showcase what’s so special about this place and why I’m so proud to represent it at Assembly level.”
While John Blair added
“It has been my pleasure to represent the increasingly diverse area of South Antrim for over 30 years in Local Government and the Assembly. I am standing as a progressive candidate for Westminster serving all of the people in my area and ready always to highlight its strengths and opportunities.
“I will also always be a voice to call for action when required such as that needed to deal with the cost of living challenges and environmental crisis at Lough Neagh which my constituents face everyday.”
The Alliance candidates will push for improvements to the UK Government’s tax-free childcare scheme if elected, Alliance North Antrim candidate Sian Mulholland has said.
North Antrim candidate Ms Mulholland said the recently announced interim support for childcare must be implemented at pace and there is much more required to support local parents and carers.
“There is no doubt families and households in Northern Ireland are currently suffering from a super-disparity in childcare support relative to those in other regions of the UK,” she said.
“Not only is this unfair, but given childcare is key economic infrastructure, it is detrimental for everyone, whether they avail of childcare services or not. Therefore, we need to prioritise investment in childcare provision.
“The recent proposals on childcare brought by the Education Minister are a positive first step and a clear indication of Alliance leading change on this matter, given it is a significant shift in DUP policy. But more needs to be done to support parents and the sector. This is a policy win, but I will not be satisfied until parents start to see real savings and providers are supported.
“Alliance’s childcare paper, Children First, outlines our proposals in detail - what we need to see is a bespoke affordable childcare scheme for Northern Ireland which will deliver better outcomes for children, reduced costs for parents and enhance the sustainability of childcare provision.
“While delivery of that scheme will sit with the Assembly, Westminster also has a role to play. That’s why Alliance MPs will lead change by pushing for improvements to the UK Government’s tax-free childcare scheme, such as an clearer information on the scheme, increasing or removing the cap, and increasing the relief from 20 per cent to 35 per cent."
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