Election 'truce' on Sunday to promote unity

Newbury's election candidates will gather in Newbury town centre

Newbury’s election candidates will gather in the town centre on Sunday for a one- hour ‘political truce’ to promote the idea of stronger local communities.

In the first event of its kind, four of the five General Election candidates have agreed to attend. Labour’s Alex Skirvin had to decline as he is committed to running The Royal Berkshire 10km race for charity in Reading.

The organiser of the political truce, Caroline Billington, said: “The whole event will be an election-free zone, a chance to see the people behind the party, and to bring the community together, to identify what these candidates have in common and about generally being nice to each other.”

For one hour, the politicians will mingle with the public without a political agenda, to show the community that they are people with things in common.

It will not be a time to lobby the candidates as no political questions will be answered and no manifestos will be discussed.

This is part of a wider General Election campaign truce which is being spearheaded by the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox in order to acknowledge local groups which unite communities at this divisive time in political history.

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