I AM concerned about who will represent Darlington in the next parliament. There are many important local and national issues at stake.

As a supporter of Catholic aid agency CAFOD, I hope that candidates of all parties in Darlington will consider global issues too, and commit to build on Britain’s proud record in looking outwards and working with others to tackle poverty, inequality and climate change.

We live in an interconnected world. To say we can’t help people at home if we help them abroad is to present a false choice. We are big enough to do both: it is who we are and what we stand for.

Michael Madden, Darlington