Conservative Julian Smith wins fifth term in Skipton and Ripon

by John Plummer

| 05 Jul, 2024

Sir Julian Smith, pictured after retaining the Skipton and Ripon seat.

Conservative Julian Smith has retained his Skipton and Ripon seat for the fifth time.

Mr Smith overcame Labour’s Malcolm Birks in a rare bright spot for the Conservatives on a terrible night nationally for the party.

His success came the day after he was awarded a knighthood by Rishi Sunak.

Polls had predicted a close contest between the Tories and Labour in the rural constituency but Mr Smith won by more than 1,500 votes.

Reform UK’s strong showing continued with Simon Garvey finishing third with 16% of the vote, well clear of the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.

Asked what he thinks swung things his way, Mr Smith said:

I hope that my work as a constituency MP delivering for the area has helped.

He said it had been “a very, very difficult night for the Conservatives”, adding:

There’s a whole set of reasons why we are here. Let’s learn from those reasons and let’s move forward.

Mr Smith would not be drawn when asked who he hoped to see lead the Conservative Party. He replied:

I’m delighted to be re-elected and I’m hoping to get some sleep.