By Josh Graham
December 10 2019, 11.06
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Boris Johnson should reveal how many children he has, according to the Liberal Democrat candidate for Twickenham.
Munira Wilson suggested the information is in the public interest.
Mr Johnson has continually refused to comment on speculation surrounding his children but Ms Wilson, who hopes to succeed former Lib Dem leader Vince Cable as the member of parliament for Twickenham, believes he should reveal the true extent of his parenting duties.
She said: “I think Boris should tell us how many children he has got.
“There is a whole question of character and integrity which is essential in our Prime Minister.
“For people who genuinely want to keep him out of Downing Street and the Tories out of Twickenham, their only other option is to vote for me.”
Ms Wilson, who is married with two young children, criticised the effect the Conservative government has had in her constituency.
She said: “The School Cuts campaign has calculated that over £15million pounds of funding cuts have affected schools across the Twickenham constituency since the Tories have been governing on their own.
“One example is Orleans Park, who on average have had a cut of £532 per pupil.
“I have had students from there coming to some of the hustings and saying they’re literally having to be asked for money to buy Pritt sticks and that’s just outrageous so that is going to be one of my top priorities.”
Ms Wilson studied languages at the University of Cambridge and has lived in Twickenham for 14 years.
She is thought to earn in the region of £70,000 as the corporate affairs director for Merk, a German pharma ceutical company based in Feltham.
She said: “Hopefully I’ll be going from one busy day job to a different one.
“I want to serve my community and my country.
“I am driven by a very strong sense of service and duty.
“At this particular juncture in the country’s history this election is going to potentially change the future direction of this country.”
Twickenham voted 66.68% in favour of Remain in the 2016 EU Referendum and Ms Wilson is standing on a passionate anti-Brexit platform.
Her aim is to get as many remain-leaning MP’s into Parliament and then to work cross-party to secure a People’s Vote where she can campaign for Remain and hopefully put a stop to Brexit.
She said: “We have ruled out a coalition with either Corbyn or Johnson and I will not be putting either of those two men into Downing Street with my vote in Parliament.”
Ms Wilson labelled it a disgrace that Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson was excluded from the televised leadership debate involving Mr Corbyn and Mr Johnson on ITV.
She added: “I think Jo Swinson is a breath of fresh air.
“She has a very different style and approach to these two tired old men who have taken our politics to the extremes.”
Ms Wilson is expected to win a seat where Mr Cable secured a Lib Dem majority of 9,762 votes in 2017.
She said: “Clearly Vince is a hard act to follow.
“But the local Lib Dems voted overwhelmingly to select me because they think that I’ve got the right qualities to follow on from him.”
When asked whether she would see it as a failure to not be elected Ms Wilson said she trusted the voters to make up their own mind.
She said: “The feeling on the doorstep is positive but I would never ever take voters for granted. “We have to remember that Vince Cable lost the seat as recently as 2015.”
Read more about what’s important to south west London constituencies in our 24-page General Election preview special.
