Mitchell Cryer: here is the Burnley Independent candidate's manifesto for the General Election

Five-point manifesto

- Cultivate and expand our advanced industries;

- Prioritise families;

- Create a greener and cleaner borough;

- Address and prevent overpopulation;

- Campaign to bring essential services into public hands.

I’m standing in this election because I have a recurring vision of what Burnley can be. In my mind, I see Burnley known the world over for its precision and advanced industries, I see us refining what we have, leaning into our strengths and making a real effort to root out our issues.

We must ask ourselves, what has this current generation of politicians and this political system given us? Record living costs, record violent crime, low growth.

But it’s not Parliament that’s broken, it’s us.

Election after election, we let them off, we give the parties our blessing to spy on our bank accounts and private conversations, permission to pump our money into foreign conflicts, permission to grow their power and dilute ours. It is blind loyalty that has enabled the state to assemble this infrastructure that now so clearly threatens our freedoms.

An Independent Parliament wouldn’t have to answer to the whips, the NGOs or the Mandarins. They would answer only to us. And it will be this new accountability that ensures our laws are passed on merit, and only ever for the good of the country.

England’s decline, our decline, is undeniable, but know that this election is an opportunity to choose a different future for our town and a different future for our country.

We can choose to have the freedom to cultivate and expand our advanced industries, the North West Aerospace Cluster, securing the future of industry by furthering our apprenticeship schemes, giving our pupils the opportunities and benefits of high quality vocational education available only in a town like ours. With an Independent MP, we will be free to stress the importance of families as the bedrock upon which our prosperity and freedom is founded. We can fight to secure the funding and talent needed to provide high quality healthcare and education, rather than going cap in hand to a government who spits on us. And all the while campaigning for the public ownership of essential services like Transport, Health and Energy, working with our county authorities to drive not just Burnley but the whole of Lancashire into the future.

Our England is a divided one. We jostle for influence whilst the capital elite maintain control. In this election, let’s all of us ditch the tribes and make the first step towards an England not divided, but united in culture and purpose!

What voice will Burnley have? Will we tow the line like everywhere else? Or will it be Burnley that says we won’t tolerate poor governance, we won’t tolerate dishonesty and we won’t tolerate decline.

Vote for Burnley, vote for yourself, vote for the generations who are coming.

An Independent Burnley now, a new England next.