05
Jul 2024
Andrew Jones: ‘There is a tsunami of change and there’s very little you can do’
Conservative Andrew Jones had little hesitation when asked to explain the loss of the Harrogate and Knaresborough seat he had held for 14 years.
Speaking minutes after Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon defeated him by 8,238 votes, Mr Jones said the result was “obviously extremely disappointing” and added:
I have to say it feels more like a national result than a local one because there is a giant tsunami of change going across our nation and there’s very little you can do about that. The feedback on the doorsteps for me has been really positive throughout.
Asked whether he knew deep down he would lose when the campaign started, given Labour’s huge lead in the polls, he said:
Every candidate travels hopefully, so I wouldn’t go that far, but I think it would be fair to say the opinion polls have been very stable for quite some time and that this should not be a surprise.
Andrew Jones being interviewed afterwards.
The Labour landslide will prompt some serious soul-searching among Conservatives and former minister Mr Jones said the party “needs to have a long hard think about how it will restructure because I think some changes are required”, including a replacement for leader Rishi Sunak. He added:
I am a fan of Rishi. I consider him to be a real positive for us. He is a thoroughly decent, intelligent, phenomenally hardworking man who has turned round much of the economy.
I hope he will stay on for a period to see the immediate turbulence through, but after that point it will be time for somebody else.
There has been talk of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seizing control of the Conservatives. Would Mr Jones welcome that?
Well, I don’t think that is the right answer to any question. We should think about things that have gone well and think about things that have gone badly and be utterly honest with ourselves in the analysis.
The challenge is often to do your analysis very quickly in the heat of the moment but actually, sleep on it, think about it and do this detailed work, some things have gone really well over the last 14 years in government, but this is a very comprehensive rejection and it should be considered in the light of that.
End of his political career?
As for Mr Jones, 60, he insists he hasn’t “given that much thought” to his future beyond closing down his Westminster office and having some time off to watch “some Yorkshire cricket and perhaps a trip to a Test match”. Mr Jones is a life member of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
He paid tribute to Mr Gordon but said some of his campaign attacks on the Conservatives were not “particularly well informed”.
Mr Jones’ long-term office manager Richard Cooper left the role this week to begin a new job as chief executive of Harrogate Homeless Project.
Mr Cooper was the leader of Harrogate Borough Council until it was abolished last year and for many years he and Mr Jones were the dominant force on the local political landscape. Is this the end of an era? “Yes, it probably is a moment of generational change," he said.
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