St Mary’s Students’ Union Host Twickenham Constituency Hustings

The Students’ Union at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMSU) hosted a Hustings for candidates in the Twickenham Constituency in the 2017 General Election.

The event, chaired by SMSU President Zander Lavall, brought together defending MP Dr Tania Matthias (Conservative), previous MP Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat), and Dr Katherine Dunne (Labour), for the first of seven Hustings in the constituency.

The Candidates were invited to deliver an introductory manifesto speech before facing questions from the floor. Students from St Mary’s asked tough questions on a range of topics affecting them including the future of the NHS, how Brexit will impact on borders, the ethics of tuition fees, St Mary’s Masterplan consultation, and their role in the local community.

Speaking after the event Zander Lavall said, “I was thrilled to be able to welcome our local constituency candidates to speak to and answer questions from our students. Twickenham is one of the most interesting seats in this election and with over 6000 potential voters on campus, this Hustings gave candidates a great opportunity to inspire students to vote and explain why they are the best candidate to represent student interests.”

At the end of the Hustings a snap poll found that the Liberal Democrats won the Hustings, with Labour in a close second and the Conservatives in third place.