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05
Feb 2023
Lib Dems confirm Harrogate and Knaresborough candidate for next election
The Liberal Democrats have chosen Tom Gordon as their prospective parliamentary candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next general election.
The selection was confirmed at the local party's annual dinner last night, following a ballot of its members in January.
Mr Gordon has campaigned for the Liberal Democrats around the country and supported Judith Rogerson in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the last general election.
He works as an advisor for a national carers charity, was born and raised in Yorkshire, and previously stood for the Lib Dems in the Batley and Spen by-election in 2021.
In a statement the Lib Dems said Mr Gordon had stood up for local health services, fought for Yorkshire devolution and for better transport links across the region. The party said he would be "running a passionate campaign to improve health services, tackle sewage and uncleanliness in our local environment and fighting for infrastructure and investment into our local services".
Mr Gordon stood against Lib Dem Knaresborough West councillor Matt Walker in the contest.
The selection process has been lengthy for the party, having initially begun last June. It was abandoned two months later when the constituency was made a "target seat" by the national party.
Phil Willis, Lib Dem MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough from 1997 until 2010, welcomed Tom Gordon’s selection:
Tom Gordon said:
Read more:
- 'Questions to ask' about Lib Dem candidate selection, says party activist
- Conservatives select candidate for crucial Masham and Fountains by-election
The Green Party is the only other party to have announced its PPC for Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Paul Ko Ferrigno has lived in Harrogate since 2007 and is involved in several community football teams as well as being a governor at Oatlands Junior School.
Meanwhile, the local Labour party has been going through the national selection procedure to find its candidate.
The Conservatives have not yet confirmed whether current MP Andrew Jones will stand to be elected in the constituency for the fifth time since 2010.
There has been no word on candidates for parties in Skipton and Ripon, where Julian Smith has been the Conservative MP since 2010.
The Selby and Ainsty Conservative MP, Nigel Adams, has already announced he will stand down at the next election.
His seat looks likely to be broken up in the constituency shake-up being carried out by the Boundary Commission, though this will not be confirmed until later in the year.
A general election must be held by January 24, 2025, at the latest.
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