WELSH Labour has selected Kait Duerden as its Montgomeryshire candidate for the Senedd elections in May

Kait, a former tech industry professional who now works as a business mentor, was the party’s candidate in the 2019 General Election when she surprised many observers by increasing Labour’s vote in Montgomeryshire, defying the UK-wide trend.

She is now looking to build on that support and mount a strong bid to win the seat around the three s’s of sustainability, social justice and safety.

Kait says: “The Welsh Labour government’s over-riding priority over the last 12 months has been to keep people safe through a calm, consistent and common sense approach to the pandemic.

“Now, as we look forward to the next five years, I am committed to Welsh Labour’s vision of a zero carbon, sustainable Wales that’s built on social justice and fairness and in which we keep our people safe by protecting and strengthening the NHS.

“Many people are understandably cynical about politicians, but I am proud of the way Welsh Labour has delivered on its promises by investing in jobs, services and housing and implementing policies to achieve a Zero Carbon Wales.

“A vote for me is a vote to put Montgomeryshire at the heart of Welsh Labour’s plans to build a greener, fairer Wales.”

Kait served an apprenticeship in the engineering industry and has spent her working life in the tech industry, most recently running the UK and Ireland division of a multinational software company. She is a lifelong trade unionist who has fought redundancies, helped set up an unemployed centre and served on the executive committee of a regional TUC.

Kait now works as a business mentor while also volunteering for a number of community groups. She lives in Cefn Coch and spends her rare moments of leisure time growing vegetables.