The choice between a Labour government and a Tory one is sharpening minds.

Team GB's success at the Beijing Olympics can, in part, be said to have been made in Manchester. For example, all the cycling medal winners trained at Manchester's velodrome, the National Cycling Centre.

Connecting people to jobs and to each other is absolutely vital to a city's economy (and to the wider economy).

These are tough times and under this Tory-led government many people in Manchester are suffering and getting left behind. If elected I will use all my energy, skills, experience and knowledge to stand up for our communities and get things done for the better.

The choice between a Labour government and a Tory one is sharpening minds.

Even though I support the blue side of Manchester's football heritage, I don't really mind that wherever I go in the world it's not Manchester City that starts the conversation. 'Ah, yes, Manchester United,' is the response when I say where I come from. It's commonplace everywhere - in Europe, Africa, Asia and even the U.S.

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds pay taxes and can join the army, so surely they should in turn be given their right to vote.