NINE candidates are standing in the general election in the seat formerly held by the Welsh Secretary David Davies. 

Monmouth’s Baptist Chapel hosted the first of the hustings in town on Sunday, June 9 and all but two candidates took to the platform to take questions from members of the public.

The Plaid Cymru candidate, Ioan Rhys Bellin, was represented by Plaid’s former candidate Jonathan Clark and Emma Meredith, Heritage Party was not available.

Opening the event with a prayer, Baptist minister Johnathan Greaves introduced Dan Damon, a former BBC journalist and now an Anglican minister who would be chairing the session.

Each candidate had one minute to introduce themselves and the platform they are standing on. 

Plaid Cymru promised they would make a difference,;Ian Chandler for the Green Party was focused on health and wellbeing and offered real hope and change; David Davies said he enjoyed the ability to hold the Welsh Government to account; June Davies from Redbrook for the True & Fair Party promised to fight corruption and have better local representation; Catherine Fookes For Welsh Labour, is an environmentalist supporting the rivers and countryside and keen to focus on the strength and vulnerability of the community; and Owen Lewis the sole Independent candidate used to work in the care industry and said that what people want is not happening.

William Powell for the Welsh Liberal Democrats, a teacher by trade, said he was standing for an alternative positive agenda and Reform UKs Max Windsor-Peplow said the county deserves better and is standing for the views of the people. 

Questions included: What role does the church have to play; Why is public trust at an all-time low with politicians?

The question that raised a few passions came from Jerry Cook who asked why won’t any of the main parties talk about Brexit?

Monmouthshire was one of the counties that voted to Remain in 2019 by a slim majority of 492 votes, but events since have re-opened the debate on whether closer ties with the EU would be better for the UK.

Reform UKs Max said “Brexit was an opportunity to deliver a different direction”; the mistake was trusting the Conservatives to deliver it.

David Davies said it was not a disaster, the country voted for it and Wales voted for it, which brought comments from the public that the county did not.

He explained the reason why the country had the result in 2019 was that “so many Labour and some Conservatives went into an election saying that we will support the vote, then they changed their minds.”

Catherine Fookes, who voted remain said that Labour would bring the relationship closer “which would only benefit the UK”

Ian Chandler said that Brexit was a disaster and said the country did need to build closer ties with Europe “we have to collaborate” and said he hoped to rejoin the EU

William Powell said the referendum was based on a “tissue of lies”, Plaid’s representative said that there is a gradual crawl back which “we need to speed up” saying the country needs access to the single market.

June Davies said that “Brexit was never going to work. It was based on a pack of lies and that 60 percent of people think Brexit was a mistake”.

Owen Lewis said it was a “big mess” but the country needed to move on as there were “lots of other big issues.”

The Conservative has represented Monmouth since 2005 but the general election on July 4 will be fought on redrawn boundaries mirroring those of Monmouthshire County Council. 

Mr Davies had a 9,982 majority at the last election.