First time voter: Martin Wailes

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Martin WailesImage source, (C) British Broadcasting Corporation

Name?

Martin Wailes.

How old are you?

33.

Where do you live?

Warrington

What do you do?

I left the army three years ago. Now I'm a plumber - fitting water meters mostly.

Kids?

Yes, two - one in Germany from a relationship when I was in the forces and I've got a daughter in Leeds as well.

Why haven't you voted before?

I've spent a lot of time away in the army, mainly in Germany and on operations. It's not pushed on you to vote in the army.

And even now, I don't see why I should vote. I don't feel any of them would do anything that would make any difference to me and my life.

What's the big issue for you in this election?

Do the rich MPs and the bankers actually understand what it means to think, 'How much have I got to pay this month for my gas, and my electric?' They just pay it, because they know they've got the funds available.

The rest of us don't have that luxury. We've got to manage our finances. The rest of us just need more help. We all contribute, we all pay our taxes, but we don't get anything back.

What's the first thing you'd do as Prime Minister?

We need to give ordinary working people more respect, and more of a chance to thrive. It's just take, take, take from ordinary working people all the time. And we're the backbone, we keep the country afloat.

So I'd make sure working people got more respect and more of the help they need. Unfortunately, not everyone's born with a silver spoon in their mouth.