Election 2017: Ipswich LibDems pick candidate to fight town in general election
Liberal Democrat candidate for Ipswich Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett. - Credit: Archant
Ipswich Liberal Democrats have chosen 38-year-old translator Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett as their candidate in next month’s general election.
Mr Hyyrylainen-Trett became the first HIV+ candidate to fight a general election when he stood for the party against Kate Hoey in Vauxhall, south London, two years ago.
He was born and brought up in Norwich before going to university in Canterbury and then moving to London. He now works for a recruitment firm in the City of London.
Ipswich has not been fertile territory for the Liberal Democrats. Until the last election they often found their vote squeezed by the Conservative/Labour dogfight. In 2015 their candidate in the town came fifth behind UKIP and the Green Party.
However Mr Hyyrylainen-Trett believes his party’s anti-Brexit stance will attract voters – even though the town voted to leave the EU last year and his likely opponents also backed remaining in Europe.
He said: “We are the only party with a clear policy on opposing a hard Brexit and saying that people have to have a say on what deal is agreed with a second referendum.
“What is worrying is that for the next two years all other policies, like education and health – especially mental health – will be put to one side as Brexit negotiations are at the heart of the government’s policies.”
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Mr Hyyrylainen-Trett is planning to move to Ipswich next week to start four weeks of intensive campaigning in the run-up to the general election on June 8.
Meanwhile the Green Party has a full slate of candidates for the General Election in Suffolk. Charlotte Armstrong is fighting Ipswich, Helen Geake is standing in Bury St Edmunds, Regan Scott in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, Eamonn O’Nolan in Suffolk Coastal, Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw in Waveney, Robert Lindsay in South Suffolk and Niall Pettitt in West Suffolk.
The Labour Party is expected to announce all its candidates for seats it does not already hold in the region on Tuesday.
Ipswich is seen as a target seat for Labour and the leader of the party’s group on Suffolk County Council, Sandy Martin, is clear favourite to be the candidate in this year’s election.
There is also expected to be a UKIP challenge. The party came third in Ipswich in 2015 – although across the country political experts will be watching to see how the party’s vote holds up after the success of its campaign to leave the EU in last year’s referendum.
