Election candidates in focus: Dr Tania Mathias (Conservatives)

With the General Election now less than a week away, the Advertiser has contacted each of the seven candidates standing in the Maidenhead constituency for their final pitch on why you should vote for them.

Check out our dedicated General Election page for more on each candidate or follow the links at the bottom of the page for each of our ‘candidates in focus’ features.

A spokesperson for Dr Tania Mathias said she was not available to be interviewed by the Advertiser this week due to ‘campaigning commitments’.

Instead, a written statement has been provided.

In the statement, Dr Mathias said she hoped to ‘build on Theresa May’s work’ and her priorities for Maidenhead were to ‘maintain our green spaces and resist over development’.

She said she wanted to ‘champion our local NHS’ and bring in ‘diagnostic hubs’ to provide medical services to residents.

And she added: “I will hold GWR (Great Western Railway) to account, making sure they continue to provide fast rail services alongside our Elizabeth Line services, and lobby Network Rail to continue infrastructure investments.”

Discussing why voters should pick her on July 4, she said: “I believe politics is about service and my life’s work has been driven by it.”

She said she would bring experience gained from working as a UN refugee officer in Gaza; and as an NHS doctor who has worked with patients from ‘around the world’.

The Tory government has been in power for 14 years, but polling data ahead of this election has placed the Conservatives far behind Labour nationally.

Asked about how she viewed the Conservative Party going into this year’s election and – what the party would need to do to rebuild support if the polls are right, she responded:

“Recent years have been challenging for Maidenhead residents – whether it be the pandemic, or the spike in inflation caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This election is about the future.

“The choice is clear: after Thursday July 4, either Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer will be our Prime Minister, and the question for residents is who will be the best candidate, with real world experience, capable of representing our area in Parliament.”

There has been criticism, in the Advertiser’s Viewpoint pages and on social media, that Dr Mathias does not come from the constituency when other candidates live locally.

Dr Mathias is from Twickenham and represented the constituency as its MP for two years between 2015 and 2017.

Responding to criticism she said: “I have always said the best of my childhood was spent here in Cookham with my grandparents and here is where I learned to swim.

“My mother’s family come from the Taplow area so my wish is to make my forever home here.

“Since being selected as the candidate I moved here immediately and my pledge is to live in the community and, if elected, to continue to be available and accessible.”

When further discussing the issue with the Advertiser, she said she had temporary living arrangements in the constituency during the campaign but – if elected – planned a permanent move.

On why voters should consider her the best person to represent Maidenhead she said: “I have a record of getting things done, putting constituents above Party, and working with community groups and all organisations.

“I am humbled by the support I have already received from various community and political groups. Maidenhead is the best; I believe it can be even better.”

Other election candidates in focus:

Joshua Reynolds – Liberal Democrat

Jo Smith – Labour Party

Andrew Cooney – The Green Party

Tim Burt – Social Democratic Party

Qazi Yasir Irshad - Independent

George Wright – Independent