The Joint Public Issues Team of the Methodist, Baptist, United Reformed Churches and Church of Scotland produced eighteen questions for church members to ask parliamentary candidates.
I intend to send 9-12 of these questions to the candidates in the South Cambridgeshire constituency, asking them to answer the questions in no more than 100 words each by 13th June. Responses which exceeded the word limit will be précised. The Booklet will then be available at all church activities from 20th June in the 2 weeks before the election, and on the church website.
[Note I’ve left in the 6 questions I’m suggesting we remove]
Poverty
Q1: Do you agree with the principle of the ‘Essentials Guarantee’ – that benefits should be set at a level high enough that families avoid destitution?
Q: Foodbank use has increased massively over the past decade – why do you think that is?
Q2: What is your plan to tackle poverty in the UK over the long term?
Asylum and refugees
Q3: How do you feel about the forcible sending of asylum seekers to another country without their claim being assessed in the UK?
Q: What would your approach be to the expansion of current resettlement programmes, and introduction of new safe routes for groups such as unaccompanied children, to prevent asylum seekers risking their lives to seek protection in the UK?
Q4: Do you agree that asylum seekers should be given the right to work if their asylum claim takes over 6 months to be processed?
Environment and climate change
Q5: In order to get us on track for achieving net-zero emissions in the UK, what policies must the government introduce in the next parliament?
Q: How would you improve the energy efficiency of Britain’s homes?
Q6: How should the UK contribute to ensuring that the poorest countries have the financing needed to deal with the unjust impacts of climate change?
Economy
Q: How would you ensure that future economic growth is environmentally sustainable?
Q7: Do you feel that economic impacts and benefits are currently fairly distributed across society?
Q8: Do you think the current tax system is effective in ensuring that those people and companies with the greatest resources contribute appropriately to the funding of public services?
Peace and conflict
Q9: What do you feel the UK’s responsibilities are for tackling global poverty, and what would your timetable be for restoring UK international development spending to 0.7% of GDP?
Q10: In a dangerous and violent world, what contribution can the UK make to conflict prevention?
Q: How can the UK help to create the conditions for effective and meaningful peace negotiations in Israel and Palestine?
Politics
Q: How would you listen to your constituents, and enable them to hold you accountable?
Q11: How would you seek to increase people’s faith in politics and politicians?
Q12: What would you do to ensure government decisions on policies that affect people living in poverty are informed by lived experience?