We did it!
I’d like to welcome the new readers who have signed up over the last few weeks while I hit pause on this newsletter to focus on the final stages of our General Election campaign. Happy to have you here! 🤗
Thank you for all the wonderful messages of congratulations that have been flooding my various inboxes since the result was declared. Turns out, becoming an MP is a great way to reconnect with old friends – feels like everybody I’ve ever met has got in touch to say congrats. Clearly good news travels fast!
In the future I will mostly be writing about issues local, national and global, and sharing my thoughts on how we can work together to address our challenges, but for this first newsletter I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the General Election, in which thousands of residents voted for the first Member of Parliament for this new South Cotswolds seat.
I was very moved to see the queues outside polling stations as you lined up to cast your votes. For all the very understandable disillusionment and distrust of our political system, it was wonderful to see that so many of you rightly believe that democracy is still our best option we have to create positive change.
In fact, the South Cotswolds had the 4th highest turnout of the 650 constituencies nationally. We can be immensely proud of that. I thank you for making your voice heard. I was delighted that when those 52,000 votes were counted, I was the one chosen to serve you.
Public service, treating people with respect and dignity, and caring for the environment are the values I was raised with and live by. So, whether or not you voted, whether or not you placed your cross against my name, I am here to work for you, your family and community. This is the greatest honour of my life, and my intention is to earn your trust through showing that I am here to serve you.
My week has been a whirlwind of briefings, meetings, photos and receptions. Last Tuesday the new MPs started being sworn in, which will be an emotional occasion as we accept this great honour, but also this great responsibility.
And I can’t imagine a more wonderful cohort of fellow Lib Dem MPs. We have got to know each other well over the last few months, as we traded war stories on the trials and tribulations of campaigning. I am delighted that so many of us have won our seats – a grand total of 72 Lib Dem MPs, the strongest Liberal force in Parliament for 100 years.
We are determined to hold this new Government to account and press for reform of social care, saving our NHS and helping those struggling with the cost of living. As an environmental campaigner for the last 20 years, particularly around ocean issues, I am especially keen to see an end to the appalling dumping of sewage in our rivers and seas. I will also continue to push for a coherent, sensible national strategy on renewables, with small-scale, community-led projects, unlike the proposed Lime Down development.
I want to pay tribute to my election opponents, and in particular to James Gray. He and I may disagree on many things, but he has served the people on the Wiltshire side of this new seat for 27 years, and that deserves to be recognised. I wish him and his family well.
Finally a huge thank you to everyone who helped make history happen here. You have put your trust in me. I will not let you down.
Quote of the Week
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
— Abraham Lincoln
Have a great week!