Christian People's Alliance candidate Sid Cordle has set out why he should be Hitchin's new MP after next week's General Election.

Mr Cordle, who lives in the constituency, is the leader of the CPA, a fringe party that has never elected an MP to Parliament.

Despite this, he says that "rather than be in one of the major parties, I'd prefer to lead a small party and stand for what I believe in because I'm not willing to compromise my principles."

One of Mr Cordle's more eye-catching policies is his desire to incentivise marriage by offering financial grants to newlyweds.

He tells The Comet: "We would encourage marriage by giving couples a grant of £12,000 when they get married and a further £6,000 before the birth of their first baby"

He wants to create a culture where it is seen as 'foolish' not to have children.

The CPA have ambitious plans to boost funding for towns like Hitchin.

He claims that the abolishment of virtually all QUANGO's will save the country £100bn that can then be spent on a tax cut and improved public services.

He said: "Hitchin will benefit from the wealth creation of cutting QUANGO's. This will improve public services across the town, including in education and healthcare.

"Everyone in Hitchin will be guaranteed a doctors appointment, it will become incredibly easy to see a GP."

Mr Cordle believes he would be a good MP because he will 'actually get things done'.

He said: "I'm going to build new houses, revitalise the town centre and stop building on the meadows of Hitchin.

"I won't talk about the meetings I've attended or the things I've said, I'll talk about the things I've done."

Read more:

• Election 2024: Bim Afolami's 6 point plan for Hitchin

• Election 2024: Labour's Alistair Strathern reveals 5 pledges

• General Election 2024: Hitchin candidate mission statements

The CPA and its leadership are strongly against abortion, as well as calling for the scrapping of net zero targets and climate related policies.

Despite this, the 68-year-old believes his values are compatible with holding elected office in modern Britain, saying: "I believe in God and Christian values. If you believe in God, you believe in what's best for the country."

The other candidates in Hitchin are: Bim Afolami (Conservative, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden in the last Parliament), Alistair Strathern (Labour, MP for Mid Bedfordshire in the last Parliament), Charles Bunker (Reform UK), Chris Lucas (Liberal Democrats) and Will Lavin (Green Party).