By: Drew McLachlan
By Drew McLachlan
Conservative Reena Ranger is standing in Birmingham Hall Green on the promise of holding “jobs and apprenticeship fairs to boost employment” in the constituency.
Ranger currently sits on Three Rivers District Council, northwest of London and is the founder and chair of advocacy group Women Empowered.
In an interview with Eastern Eye, she said: “Birmingham is the second largest city and some substantial businesses are opening up here… We need to make sure these new opportunities are available to all residents. I would like to hold job fairs to bring employers and job seekers together, to back plans to reopen Moseley and Kings Heath stations to help alleviate traffic congestion and help our high streets and businesses.”
She also said she hopes to lend support to prime minister Theresa May’s plan to leave the European Union in order to ensure “we get not only the best Brexit deal for the UK as a whole but also the residents of Birmingham Hall Green”.
Ranger will be running against Labour incumbent Roger Godsiff, who held on to his seat in 2015 with a vote share of 60 per cent.
Patrick Cox is standing for the Green party and Jerry Evans for the Liberal Democrats.
Labour has represented Birmingham Hall Green since 1997 and it was considered the 28th safest seat for the party following the 2015 general election.
Ranger, whose father Dr Rami Ranger founded the Sun Mark distribution company, said that she and her family decided to support the Conservative Party for what they saw as shared values: family, education, opportunity and enterprise.
“We need financial responsibility for a strong and healthy economy from which everything flows and flourishes,” she said. “I want to live in a calm, stable and fair UK. A Britain that looks after all its citizens with a strong rule of law and where there is equality of opportunity. One that ensures a good, meritocratic standard of education. I want everyone to have a chance of owning their own home. I believe that the Conservatives are the party for everyone.”
She also expressed the importance of women and minority groups being represented in politics.
“This is our country, our home, our world and our participation is crucial at all levels to ensure we look after it,” she said.
“(When my children grew up), I suddenly understood that we all had a role to play in shaping the world and the country around us and we all could genuinely make a difference by standing up, taking part and being prepared to be counted.”
