The general election is just around the corner and voters have just days to decide who they will vote for on July 4.

We have been speaking to candidates from all the major parties who are campaigning to be the next Richmond and Northallerton MP.

Daniel Callaghan, 33, is standing for the Liberal Democrat Party against the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

We sat down with Daniel to find out why he went into politics and what he hopes to do if he is elected.

How did you get into politics?

"I have always felt a kind of strong pull to giving people fairness. The earliest memory I have of this coming to the fore was when I was nine or ten.

"I was in a school play of Cinderella, I was one of the ugly sisters. The school put on free mince pies and tea for the parents after each performance. I was outraged, I thought we were the people putting in all of the work. I started a petition as a proper Lib Dem.

"I got all my classmates to sign it. The headmaster found it, he brought me to the front of the assembly and I was absolutely bricking it.

"He said this was a fine example of someone getting directly involved in democracy.

"From that day on the children were given free mince pies and tea afterwards. It showed me early on that if you can absolutely make a change and a difference."

Why are you standing for the Liberal Democrats?

"During university I got an internship with Tom Brake, who used to be a Lib Dem MP in London. 

"I worked in his Westminster office. It was when Labour were winding down and it looked like there was going to be a change in government. 

"I was thinking to myself that I'm not a fan of Labour but I also don't really like what the other alternative is going to be. 

"That was when I realised that I was a Lib Dem. It went from there."

What are your top priorities for Richmond and Northallerton?

1. Bringing back Friarage A&E

"I have actually just launched a campaign today to reopen the A&E at Friarage. It's really important to me because I was born there.

"Without an A&E department you cannot have a fully functioning maternity service. It was taken away from us on Rishi Sunak's watch. 

"I think for me it is a big example of rural communities like ours being short-changed from key services like healthcare. 

"We did some research and found that once the A&E here was taken away wait times at the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough shot up to five hours. It's seven hours at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

"People here tell me that they have lost that peace of mind of knowing it is here.

"Dentists are also in crisis."

2.  Sewage crisis

"To set the scene we are now, according to the data released in 2023, we are in the worst three per cent of all 650 constituencies. 

"There have been 5,000 sewage dumps over 46,000 hours. The River Swale and the River Ure are among the most polluted in the entire country. 

"The Lib Dems have got the boldest manifesto for dealing with this. We would scrap Ofwat and replace it with a completely new regulator with new powers.

"Once and for all we would ban bonuses for water company executives.

"We would also introduce blue flag status. This would help speed up areas getting bathing status."

3. Fighting for our farmers

"The Conservatives pretend to be on the side of farmers. If you look at what has happened in the past few years they have been treated terribly. 

"The Lib Dems would put an extra £1bn into farming and we would look at visa working rules so that they can get seasonal workers easier. 

"A big one for me is renegotiating the Australia and New Zealand deals. They are telling me that they are left behind and undercut by these deals.

"They are expected to do more and get less."

Do you think that you can win this election?

"The writing is on the wall for the Tories.

"Whatever happens to Rishi in this election in this seat people know that he was parachuted in and he will be helicoptered back out.

"People don't feel that he will be sticking around for the long haul.

"I am fully committed to stay here. I think the polls are rubbish.

"Knowing how polling works it is based on the result last time in which Labour came second.

"It doesn't take into account local factors on the ground. I don't think Labour can win in a seat like this.

"I really think we are the people to pull in votes from both sides. Labour have said this is a non-battleground seat. 

"I was selected 12 months ago, we have been hard at it all this time. People have been telling me on the doors I have voted Tory all my life and I can't do it again.

"They also say that they could never vote for Labour, so we think they will vote for us.

"I'm born here, I was raised here, we have been taken for granted for too long by the Conservatives.

"Look at what we have lost, our rivers are among the most polluted in the country.

"People here deserve a proper Yorkshire champion."