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Jun
Lib Dem not ‘taking anything for granted’ in Harrogate and Knaresborough election
The Stray Ferret has spoken to all the candidates running for election in the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency and will be running features on each of them. Here, Tom Gordon of the Liberal Democrats talks about what his priorities would be if elected.
It’s no secret that the Liberal Democrats are targeting Harrogate and Knaresborough on July 4.
Tom Gordon, 30, has been tasked with winning the constituency from the Conservatives.
The national party has poured resources into the seat, with a campaign office on Westmoreland Street in Harrogate and activists canvassing the area.
Although the polls are looking good, Mr Gordon — who was selected in February 2023 — insists he is not taking anything for granted.
‘Things are broken’
Originally from Knottingley in West Yorkshire, Mr Gordon has previously stood twice for parliament and been elected to Wakefield Council and Newcastle City Council in his short political career.
He says his motive for standing in Harrogate and Knaresborough is to return the seat to the Liberal Democrats for the first time since it was lost to the Tories in 2010.
He said:
What we have seen on the ground is that things are broken. Whether it be transport, infrastructure or public services across the board.
Things are not as good as they should or could be.
Mr Gordon has focused his campaign on issues such as local health services, dentistry and sewage in the River Nidd.
He points to Harrogate District Hospital, which he says is a subject that often comes up on the doorstep, as an example of one area which he feels could be improved.
As for water quality, Mr Gordon backs Lib Dem plans to reform of the water industry, which would see Ofwat, the regulator, replaced with a watchdog “with actual teeth”.
Tom Gordon MP
He is also a proponent of Knaresborough Lido on the River Nidd achieving Blue Flag status, which is an international quality mark for beaches and marinas.
The area was recently designated bathing water status, following a campaign led by Conservative MP Andrew Jones but Mr Gordon believes the status is the bare minimum that the Nidd should be aiming for:
I think there is an element of concern around it. We have had people saying it has bathing water status, so it must be safe to swim in. We know that the reality is that is not the case.
The latest poll from Survation predicts the Lib Dems are on course to win in Harrogate and Knaresborough with 34% of the vote – 2.8% ahead of the Tories.
Such an outcome would put an end to 14 years of Conservative dominance in the seat.
But Mr Gordon is cautious and points out that some of the polls differ in their projections:
We’re not overly focusing on them. We’re just dealing with things that we know will work like going out and speaking to people.
We’re not taking anything for granted and we’re making sure that we run a campaign that will hopefully see a result that we want.
Committed to Harrogate and Knaresborough?
Conservative rival Andrew Jones, who is campaigning for a fifth straight election victory in Harrogate and Knaresborough, has questioned Mr Gordon’s commitment to the area.
In a post on Instagram, Mr Jones uploaded a video showing that Mr Gordon had stood in council elections in Wakefield and Newcastle and parliamentary elections in Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford and Batley and Spen. The video went on to question whether he was “just another career politician”.
The Stray Ferret put the criticism to Mr Gordon, who said:
I think it’s really disappointing that there has been this negative campaigning and attack. If I had not stood elsewhere, I expect he would say that I hadn’t had any experience in running an election.
He was always going to have a line on that.
Mr Gordon added that he was young and had moved around for work after graduating from the University of Newcastle. He said:
When you have got job prospects that are in different parts of the country then that is inevitable that you have to move.
The Liberal Democrats are keen to make Harrogate and Knaresborough their own after July 4.
From setting up a campaign office to enlisting the help of former MP Phil Willis, the party has poured resources into the seat to ensure victory.
With Mr Gordon currently also being ahead in the opinion polls, is he confident of winning?
I would describe it as cautiously optimistic. We have run a cracking campaign since the election was called, but also during all the groundwork that myself and the team have done over the last 18 months.
We’re making sure that we speak to as many people as possible, have those conversations and listen to those issues and don’t take any vote for granted.
The full list of candidates for Harrogate and Knaresborough are as follows:
- Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat
- Paul Haslam, Independent
- Andrew Jones, Conservative
- Shan Oakes, Green Party
- Stephen Douglas Metcalfe, Independent
- Jonathan Swales, Reform UK
- Conrad Whitcroft, Labour
The Stray Ferret will be hosting hustings events in both Harrogate and Ripon ahead of election day. You can sign up to attend the Harrogate event here and Ripon hustings here.
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