Steve Race

I'm Steve, and I've been a part of the Exeter Labour team for fifteen years, campaigning side by side with members and talking to residents to help with their issues.

I worked for our MP Ben Bradshaw, supporting Exeter residents and organisations, and I stood as the Labour candidate for East Devon in the 2015 general election. I'm now running to be Exeter's next MP, hoping to take over from Ben as he retires after over 25 years.

I grew up under a Tory Government, and from an early age I was determined to change the fundamental unfairness I saw around me - my local comprehensive school was decaying and we shared textbooks between three in a class; the council house I grew up in was cold and too small for our large family, and was unsuitable for my disabled sister.

When Labour came to power, this all started to change, and my family gained new opportunities - we moved into a purpose-built new council house, and I was later the first in my family to go to university.

After another 12 years of Tory Government, we’re back to where we were in 1997 - and worse. The services we all depend on are overstretched.

I want to work with residents to work for an inclusive, prosperous and fair Exeter - where everyone has the opportunity of a warm and secure home and no-one is forced into homelessness; where people can get a decent well-paid job, put food on the table, and access the best education for their kids. I believe in an NHS in Exeter and across the country that is well-funded, patient-focused, and at the forefront of diagnostics and treatment pathways, with the RD&E able to lead the transformation of health and care in the city and region.

Exeter is a great city, and it succeeds under Labour. With a Labour MP and a Labour Council, the city continues to grow in economic prosperity and civic pride. But there is much we need to change for the better - and with a Labour government we can achieve that together.