It’s been the most curious campaign. Nationally the news has been almost unremittingly awful for my party. But locally I have an almost wholly positive experience on the doorstep. A lot of people aren’t going to vote for me - either they never vote Conservative, or they have left us this time - but except for one F-off and half a dozen door-slams they’ve told me so kindly. And I’m hugely encouraged that despite the national news, and despite the very real problems faced by families, businesses and public services, many voters who have backed us before say they will do so again.
My main fear isn’t that people will switch from backing me to backing Labour or the Liberal Democrats, but that Conservative-minded people won’t vote at all, or back Reform, and that I lose the election that way. I don’t think the opposition will gain many more votes this time than they usually do, but I do fear our vote could collapse, which will be enough for one of the other candidates to beat me. The result then will be a huge Labour majority on the basis of a very low vote share, and the only opposition to Keir Starmer will be his own left wing - and there will be nothing but rubble on which to rebuild a proper centre-right opposition. So please - if you want to avoid this - and despite your very legitimate misgivings about the performance of my Party in recent years, vote for the country’s best interests by voting Conservative today.
Whatever happens, I’m enormously grateful for the support I’ve had from my campaign team and the small army of friends and activists who’ve trod the streets and lanes with me for the last month. I’m proud as it’s possible to be to have represented our area in Parliament, and I very much hope to do so again - when I pledge to represent everyone to the best of my ability.
