Medway Cllrs react to Tracey Crouch decision to stand down as MP

Councillors in Medway have reacted to the news Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch will not stand for reelection at the next General Election.

Transcript

00:00 It's a deeply personal decision and standing in any form of public office, whether it be a

00:04 councillor like myself or indeed being a member of parliament at any time, it's difficult because

00:09 of the weight of the responsibility that an election campaign carries. It's always a big

00:17 event, it requires really every bit of you. So no, but I think for her now, as she says in her

00:24 letter and reflects on the time's right for her, she looks forward to a future with her and her

00:28 family. Yeah, so I first met Tracy on a trampoline in Luton. So some of I think her character is

00:36 actually one of those things which, again it's not often spoken about in politics, but she is a very

00:41 warm-hearted, very down-to-earth individual who immediately you gravitate towards as someone

00:49 that's very affable. I mean in some of the highlights of in terms of her career, she's

00:53 been really strong on fixed-odd betting terminals. As betting minister, she challenged the government

00:59 on that and then resigned on a point of principle when it became clear that they weren't going to

01:03 follow through. And similarly, as sports minister as well, she's dedicated her career not only when

01:08 before she was in parliament, when she was a female referee actually and a coach for young girls,

01:14 and she's taken that on board and she's worked with that and hopefully she will continue with

01:21 that. And just lastly on her cancer challenge that she has undertaken, climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro

01:28 and she's raised the awareness of cancer in our community and you know whatever your party

01:33 politics, cancer is a universal challenge. And I you know those three things alone I think have put

01:38 her in good stead and obviously she has represented her community tirelessly and tenaciously over the

01:45 the last 14 years.