AT A well-attended hustings meeting at the White Hart Hotel in Launceston last Saturday afternoon, April 6, North Cornwall Liberal Democrats selected Danny Chambers, a local vet, to be their parliamentary candidate to succeed Dan Rogerson who held the seat from 2005 to 2015, writes Christine Williams.

Mr Chambers was chosen from among five prospective candidates. Each of them spoke for ten minutes and answered questions before voting took place and the result was announced by the returning officer, Dave Browne.

Aged 37, Mr Chambers grew up just outside Launceston and his work as a vet takes him all over North Cornwall giving him first-hand knowledge of the difficulties Cornish families face. He has campaigned on issues such as health and social care, mental health, animal welfare, climate change and above all poverty. He promised to speak up for the needs of ordinary people and give them hope: “Cornwall must be a place where an honest day’s work pays a living wage; where children do not go to bed hungry and education enables people to fulfil their ambitions; where people can afford to have a roof over their heads and the elderly can live in dignity and security.”

Mr Chambers has spent his career in mixed, equine and small animal practices all over the UK and New Zealand. He is a member of the British Veterinary Association and in 2017 was elected to the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. He has been involved in projects that benefit human health, well-being and poverty alleviation in Morocco, The Gambia, India and Iraq. He has been regularly asked to speak on BBC radio and TV and delivers mental health and animal welfare and lectures at conferences and universities.

Accepting the nomination Mr Chambers said he was aware of the huge responsibility he was undertaking and he looked forward to working with party supporters. Next day at 8am he set off on a ‘meet the people’ tour of the constituency from Wadebridge to Bude.