Alyn & Deeside by-election: Labour candidate Jack Sargeant declines offer to take part in BBC hustings event

All five candidates standing in the by-election have been invited to hustings which will be broadcast on the current affairs programme Wales Live from Deeside 6, the sixth form centre in Connah’s Quay next Wednesday evening.

The BBC has also invited an audience made up of local constituents to the live broadcast.

Other candidates from Plaid Cymru, Green Party, Liberal Democrats and the Welsh Conservatives have confirmed they will attend.

In a statement to the BBC Mr Sargeant said his “absolute focus is on speaking directly to the people of Alyn and Deeside”.

“I want nothing to distract our local campaign from this priority, and it’s for this reason that I won’t be taking part in hustings,” he said.

“I believe the best way to do this is to spend my time getting out into the community and speaking to voters directly, rather than participating in choreographed events that all too often descend into the kind of partisan mudslinging that only serves to alienate voters.”

The Alyn and Deeside by-election takes place on Tuesday 6 February it follows the tragic death of incumbent Labour AM Carl Sargeant on 7 November 2017.

The election will be the fourth Assembly by-election to be held since its formation in 1999.

Five candidates are standing in the election they are;

Conservative – Sarah Atherton; Plaid Cymru – Carrie Harper; Liberal Democrat – Donna Lalek; Green – Duncan Rees; Labour – Jack Sargeant

You can read the candidate profiles here: Deeside.com/Alyn-Deeside-election-candidates/