Lindsay Whittle, the leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, has launched his latest bid to unseat Labour MP Wayne David as Caerphilly’s representative in Westminster.
Mr Whittle, of Plaid Cymru, will be standing as a candidate for the seventh time in May’s general election and launched his latest campaign with a stinging attack on Mr David.
He lambasted Mr David for not backing his campaign to save Caerphilly’s police station from potential closure and criticised him for not doing enough to save the town’s Post Office.
He said: “Does anyone believe that we should trust this newly promoted minister to defend our police stations,while he has not signed the petition yet?
“Over 500 of our Valley citizens have. I am not afraid to defend public service in the Caerphilly area and our Valley towns. I will speak up against these injustices.”
Mr Whittle was speaking to Plaid Cymru party members at his recent campaign launch at Llanbradach Community Centre. He was joined by Plaid’s Carmarthen East MP Adam Price and its Assembly Member for Llanelli, Helen Mary Jones.
He continued to lay into Mr David for his role in the closure of ten Post Offices in the constituency and said: “Is anyone happy with the record of a MP who campaigned to save the Crown post office in Caerphilly town, yet in London voted to close it?”
Mr Whittle also spoke of his inspiration to enter politics as a youngster – legendary Merthyr Tydfil Labour MP Stephen Owen Davies – and revealed that it is a boyhood dream of his to be the MP for Caerphilly.
He added: “After 34 years in public life serving this area, I am proud of my record. This is the seventh time I have attempted to gain this seat and I genuinely believe this could be the Magnificent Seven.”