Anneliese Dodds and Naz Sarkar, Labour Parliamentary candidates for Reading East and West, respectively, tonight challenged David Cameron to a “real debate” in Reading.

This followed a so-called ‘Cameron Direct’ meeting at Reading’s Madjeski Stadium. Both Anneliese and Naz were prevented from entering the event, with the audience comprising a handpicked group of local residents.

Anneliese and Naz had prepared a set of questions for Cameron to respond to (see below)- but they were banned from the event.

Naz said: “It was disappointing not to be able to attend this event to ask David Cameron the questions he needs to answer”.

Anneliese said: “This event would have been better named ‘Cameron select’ than ‘Cameron direct’, given the control exercised over attendees by the organisers.

It’s crucial that Cameron faces up to big questions over his party’s failure on the economy, windfalls for the richest estates and cuts to the tax credits many Reading families rely on”.

THE QUESTIONS CAMERON NEEDS TO ANSWER:

Cameron had stated his intention to answer questions on his plans on “the economy, the cost of living, the NHS, education, law and order, over-development, and the environment”. Anneliese and Naz wanted to ask him the questions below- but were prevented from doing so.

THE ECONOMY: Why were Cameron’s Tories in complete disarray when the Labour Government moved to stop our high-street banks going to the wall- which would have plunged thousands of Reading families into crisis?

COST OF LIVING: Why are Cameron’s Tories committed to slashing Tax Credits for middle-income Reading families- so they can give the very richest estates a tax windfall of £200,000?

THE NHS: Why won’t Cameron’s Tories endorse Labour’s target that the wait to see a specialist should be brought down to one week in the next Parliament- or the present target that nobody should have to wait more than four hours in Accident and Emergency?

EDUCATION: Why won’t Cameron’s Tories commit to protecting frontline school funding?

LAW AND ORDER: Why would Cameron’s Tories cut the equivalent of 3,500 police officers from our streets this year?

OVER-DEVELOPMENT: Does Cameron support his party’s Councillors in West Berks who ‘did the dirty’ on local residents with their support for including Whitehart Meadows in Theale and Pincents Hill in Tilehurst in the top three of West Berks Council’s list of preferred development sites?

THE ENVIRONMENT: Why did Cameron’s Tories vote against green investment in the last budget?