Craig Smith was last month named as North West Leicestershire Conservatives' parliamentary candidate at the next General Election. He sat down with Coalville Nub News to outline the issues he will be raising ahead of voters returning to the polls, and why he thinks his local connections will make a difference. For balance, we will be featuring an interview with the Labour candidate Amanda Hack in the next few weeks.

Craig Smith wants to put local issues at the forefront of his bid to be North West Leicestershire's new MP.

The Whitwick-based businessman - who founded the Stealth Black Belt Academy at Stephenson Business Park in Coalville - has been selected as the Conservative candidate for the constituency at the next General Election.

It will be no easy task to win back the seat which Andrew Bridgen claimed for the Tories in 2019 with a 20,400 majority.

He has since been thrown out by the Conservatives for his views on Covid vaccinations, and joined the Reclaim Party - who he intends to represent at the election.

Smith has been chosen to step into the gap left by Bridgen, but there are number of other bridges to build as well.

Accusations of events surrounding the Covid lockdown, and the 'sleaze' associated with some Tory MPs, have left the Conservatives with a fight to stay in government.

That filtered down to May's local government elections where the Conservatives did not perform well.

But Smith hopes he can put local issues to the front of the agenda when the voters return to the polls - probably sometime in the next 12 months.

He will emphasise his local connections - and is already a Leicestershire County Councillor, representing Coalville North.

Smith is a prominent figure on social media, using a familiar hashtag of #getthings done.

Now, he wants that to translate to the national stage.

He told Coalville Nub News: "When you're canvassing on the streets and knocking on people's doors, the first thing they ask is 'Are you local?'. Not, 'What party are you from?'

"I tell them I'm from Whitwick, and all my family live no more than half a mile from me. We can trace our family tree back to Ibstock in the 1640s.

"So I could hardly be more local, and I know what's important to the people who live there.

"When I stood for the Coalville North seat on the County Council two years ago, I was told it was un-winnable. But that was like a red rag to a bull and I did win it. I wanted to prove people wrong.

"I didn't have a clue what I was doing on my first day at County Hall, but I quickly formed alliances and Keith Merrie - the Coalville South councillor - has been a mentor to me. It's a really rewarding job.

"I got picked up this year as a cabinet support member for Children and Families, which is the largest portfolio, and probably the most challenging one at County Hall, because of the demands placed upon it."

Smith did not win at the District Council elections in May, but that has not deterred him in his attempt to become an MP.

He added: "I was asked this question in my interview, 'How many times would you come back and do a constituency surgery if you were elected as MP?'

"Well, my family's here, so I'd be back. I wouldn't go native in London. I'd be here, and if people want to speak to me about something in a coffee shop or supermarket, they can. It's what happens now.

"One of the things that I've really pushed since I've been at county council, is my accessibility. One of my promises is that I get back to everybody within 48 hours, normally it's a lot quicker than that.

"I pretty much answer my phone all the time. I've got a really good online presence. And because of my reach locally. I get a lot of people from Ibstock or Ashby asking me if I can help them. I then refer them on to the other county councillors to get their issue resolved as soon as possible."

Smith says that, while he is known as a Coalville politician, he will be making sure voters in Ashby, Castle Donington and Kegworth will not be overlooked.

Among his priorities will be to help boost high street businesses and local education - as well as supporting the re-opening of the Ivanhoe Line railway.

He added: "I needed a cable for a monitor the other day, and I wanted to buy one locally. Before, I'd go to Tandy in Coalville, you can't do that now.

"It's the same in Ashby as well. You pick up the phone, and it's on your doorstep within 24 hours. Unless we change our habits, which is very unlikely, we need to look at what we can do to improve high streets from a night-time led economy to everything outside of that."

As for the Ivanhoe Line, Smith says he is committed to connecting it to Leicester from Coalville.

The first phase will run from Coalville to Burton, then Derby.

He added: "We need to get it sorted as quickly as possible. And initially, it's from Burton to Coalville, which is fantastic, but let's get a station identified in Ashby, let's get a brick laid on the ground.

"Because the train lines can be done later. The infrastructure is already there.

"I'll be speaking to the district council leader Richard Blunt about this as well."

Smith realises he has a comparatively short window to persuade people to vote for him, despite the recent bad publicity surrounding the party.

He wants to inject a sense of pride into where local residents come from.

Smith said: "I see Conservatism as aspirational politics. I started from a very humble background. My dad was a miner in Whitwick. He died when I was quite young. But our family struggled in the early years. 

"And I then joined the Royal Air Force, starting off on a YTS in Coalville. That's certainly a good grounding, and it also taught me the core values that the RAF represents, those are Conservative core values as well. Hard work, discipline - the best gift you can give anyone. 

"It doesn't matter whether you're academically gifted, I was never academic in school. I left with no qualifications. 

"Then I went back to college through the Air Force got all my GCSEs. So, my big passion is children's education. Because not every kid is going to be an academic. And there is so much talent that gets wasted because teachers don't identify that. They're told that all kids must conform to a pattern.

"They must go to A-levels, they must go to university. So many people have been wasted. Some people's problem-solving capability is amazing, but they don't necessarily have the academic qualifications.

"That's why I've spent a lot of time going around the various different schools. I've got a really good relationship with Belvoirdale School. I wish every teacher was like Richard Dax. He's absolutely amazing what he's done for those kids who might have low, aspirational parents. 

"I was one of those kids. I always remember my dad, I was about 14, saying 'People like us don't own businesses'. And I often think what, if he could see me now, running my own business for 18 years employing local people, what he'd say. 

"But because we still have a mining community mentality. The last pits closed in 1986, but we're brought up with it. It's ingrained, but we've got to overcome that now."

Smith also has a take on crime in the area.

He said: "There'll always be an element of society that wants to break the rules.

"Because of our road network, County Lines drug dealing has become an issue. 

"I've got a really good relationship with Rupert Matthews, the Police and Crime Commissioner. And I've also met with Rob Nixon, the Chief Constable.

"Throughout my tenure, as a County Councillor, I've been doing that and making these relationships and I regularly call in any local issues so that they can get a picture. And this is why I encourage all my residents within my division to do as well.

"But we've got 14-15 year olds in this area dealing drugs. We know it's happening - we can't bury our heads. And they're doing it because it's easy money. But we've got to get them before that. We need to get them into local clubs so they've got that discipline.

"There are kids that are not going to go into this life of crime, because by the time they're 20-30 they're still drug dealing and we've lost them."

Smith hopes voters can put the current headlines surrounding the Conservatives to one side when they come to vote.

He added: "This area has its own issues with the current MP. But I think that's now irrelevant, it's another party and he's doing his own thing.

"What we've selected now is we've selected somebody that is local, and is going to focus on the local people. My campaign, will all be about North West Leicestershire. 

"If elected, I'm going to be a voice for this area in national politics. But I can't do anything unless I'm elected."