Re-elected MP pledges to battle poverty (From Stroud News and Journal)

Re-elected MP pledges to battle poverty

NEWLY re-elected Stroud MP David Drew has set out his priorities for a third term in office after his knife-edge election victory.

Mr Drew pledged to battle poverty abroad and support local regeneration projects like those planned for Standish Hospital and Forest Green after clinging onto power.

The Labour MP now holds the sixth most marginal seat in the UK following the dramatic 350-vote win over Tory candidate Neil Carmichael.

"We knew it was going to be close but we didn't think it was going to be that close," said Mr Drew.

"If a government has been in power for eight years people vote against it for a whole number of reasons.

"There were clearly a fair number of protest votes as the Tory vote did not increase much and ours dropped by 5,000.

"But we got there and that is what matters."

He now intends to focus on contentious local issues like the future of Standish Hospital, the Forest Green Rovers rebuild and the co-operative bid for the Cashes Green Hospital site.

He said: "Clearly I am very interested in the regeneration of these sites, along with the canal regeneration."

And he pledged to carry on his work as chair of the all-party committee investigating the crisis in the Sudan, saying he planned another trip to the country before the end of the year.

"The alleviation of poverty is one of my major issues," he said. "I will get back there and try to pick up on the particularly awful situation in Darfur."