Starmer is an 'undercover Tory' and Sunak an 'incompetent toffee': Voters don't mince their words in Oldham West

Standing in front of a construction fence on one of Oldham’s busiest thoroughfares one woman's voice is shaking with emotion.

“This country is now run as a corporation, a business. Everything involves money”, Chanel says.

“It’s like George Orwell’s 1984. We’re all being threatened, watched, fined, on camera everywhere, when people are crying out for help, support.”

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Chanel, 46, is on her break from her job in a cafe nearby. She cares for several people in her local community, alongside her autistic son.

“Where’s the love for the people? The young people who are suffering since lockdown, those that have lost all their funding and are walking around without carers. We’re waiting 8 and 10 hours at Oldham Hospital. We’re crying out for NHS staff.”

When the Manchester Evening News took to the streets of Oldham town centre to speak to prospective voters, the NHS was on many people’s minds.

Outside the bus station, Duncan, 65, said it was his main concern. “There’s inflation and the problem with the boats crossing the channel - but the main one to me is the NHS.

“It needs sorting out. There’s a lot of nurses who are leaving the profession - stressed out, poor pay. It’s a great job, but they need more support," he said.

“We take it for granted in the country. Our NHS is the best in the world, it always has been, so we must maintain it," he added.

At Tommyfield Market several of the traders said they would be voting for Reform to "shake up the Tories”.

For Devon Wilkshire, 28, his priority is employment, he said: “Providing opportunities, offsetting deficits, boosting the economy back up. Creating the opportunities for the up and coming