I am delighted to have been selected as the Welsh Conservative Party candidate for Blaenau Gwent.

I grew up near Monmouth and went to Monmouth Comprehensive School. I believe this election is a golden opportunity to vote for the change we need in Wales.

Only a vote for the Welsh Conservatives will ensure that we do not have to face the awful prospect of five more years of Gordon Brown and his ruinous economic policies.

I am running an active campaign in Blaenau Gwent.

Urgently, I am calling for action on our town centres. We need to target any available money into real things like repairing derelict buildings and improving parking, not pet political projects, as is so often the case.

All the people I have met across Blaenau Gwent, in centres like Ebbw Vale, Tredegar, Abertillery and The Cwm have said they need money spent on fixing up the towns. I would work tirelessly to do this.

Blaenau Gwent has a proud industrial history. But in more recent years the area has been crippled by job losses and deprivation.

Under 13 years of Labour nothing has been done to stop this. Labour is now the party of unemployment.

Welsh Conservatives will take real action on jobs by cutting red tape and business taxes to boost employment.

We would stop Labour’s increase in National Insurance. Cutting government waste won’t endanger the recovery - but this tax on jobs will.

Conservatives recognise that young people need access to better skills to get jobs, so we will boost apprenticeships and training opportunities.

We will also take action on health by increasing spending on the NHS every year. I will work with Conservative colleagues in the National Assembly to ensure this is spent on frontline NHS services.

On immigration, Conservatives would get the situation under control by introducing an annual limit on non-EU migrants allowed to work here and a dedicated Border Police Force to protect UK borders.

At this election we have a golden opportunity to get our country back on track. Only a vote for the Welsh Conservatives will ensure that we elect a new fresh Government, led by David Cameron, with the energy and vision needed to do the job.