The MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough has greeted the news of the impending general election with a combative statement and a pledge that he will be "working hard" to win voters' trust again.

Andrew Jones was first elected to Parliament in 2010 and has won the constituency at four general elections. Unlike 65 of his parliamentary party colleagues, such as Theresa May, Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab and Ben Wallace, he intends to stand again and win a fifth on July 4.

In a statement, Mr Jones contrasted his strong links to the area with those of his opponents. He said:

The constituency, and the previous Harrogate constituency that included Knaresborough, has been held by Conservatives continuously since 1950, except when the Liberal Democrat Phil Willis was MP from 1997 to 2010. He now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Willis of Knaresborough.

Before 1950, Harrogate and Knaresborough were part of the Ripon constituency, which was held by the Tories continuously from 1910.

Nevertheless, speaking to the Stray Ferret last year, Mr Jones said he'd never regarded the constituency as “anything other than a marginal”, and in his latest statement cautioned against change. He said:

Other than Mr Jones, four candidates have so far declared their intention to stand for election as MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough: Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrats; Shan Oakes, Green Party; John Swales, Reform UK; and Conrad Whitcroft, Labour.

The general election was called yesterday (Wednesday, May 22) by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and will take place on July 4.

Read more:

• Who will be standing in the Harrogate district at the general election?


• As it happened: Labour's David Skaith wins North Yorkshire mayoral election


• The MP aiming to win his fifth election in Harrogate and Knaresborough