MPs Watch: General Election, Nidd bathing status and female toiletsLabour and Greens select Wetherby and Easingwold election candidates

Labour and the Green Party have revealed candidates to stand in the Wetherby and Easingwold constituency at the upcoming general election.

Voters will head to the polls to elect 650 MPs to the House of Commons on July 4.

The new Wetherby and Easingwold constituency, which includes parts of Harrogate, will be contested for the first time at the election.

Ben Pickles, 29, a Bradford schoolteacher, has been announced as Labour’s candidate to contest the seat.

Mr Pickles said:

“I’m a proud council estate kid, grew up with a single mum, and was the first in my family to go to university.

“I was a teenage parent myself, and know full well how difficult it is to simply pay the bills at times.

“My two children shape my values and view of social justice – giving every child the opportunity to succeed is my primary goal.”

Meanwhile, the Green Party has selected Anna Jacobs to stand in the constituency.

Ms Jacobs, a lawyer who has lived in Wetherby for the last nine years, said:

“I want to be a part of the change to make our Wetherby and Easingwold a better place. 

“We are so lucky to live in beautiful surroundings, but that doesn’t mean that it is without its problems or cannot be improved. I want to use my skills to properly represent residents, to really listen and help individuals to take action and make a difference to the quality of lives. That would be a privilege.”

Current Elmet and Rothwell MP, Alec Shelbrook, will contest the constituency for the Conservatives.

Mr Shelbrook’s current seat is among those being abolished as part of the boundary review which proposed the new constituency.

Meanwhile, Reform UK will field Mike Jordan as its candidate and James Monaghan will stand for the Liberal Democrats in the new constituency.

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“I’m in it to win it,” says Labour candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough

You’d be hard pressed to find a parliamentary constituency in the north of England less traditionally Labour than Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The party has never finished higher than third at a general election, polled just 9.6% in 2019 and even finished fourth behind UKIP in 2015.

But the landscape has changed: nationally, the party is riding high in the polls and Labour’s David Skaith was elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire this month. Is Harrogate and Knaresborough, however, a bridge too far?

The party unveiled Conrad Whitcroft as its candidate hours before Rishi Sunak announced the general election would be held on July 4.

Labour has designated Harrogate and Knaresborough a non-battleground seat, meaning it won’t be deploying too many resources. Don’t expect to see Keir Starmer posing for photos outside Bettys.

Mr Whitcroft is aware of the rumours. He jokes:

“I’ve been told I’m a paper candidate so many times I can actually hear myself rustle.”

But he insists he isn’t making up the numbers:

“I am a candidate on the ballot paper so of course I’m in it to win it. It would be foolish of me to run and not want to win and I will absolutely be trying my hardest to convince the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough to have a Labour MP.”

The Lib Dems claim it is a two-horse race between them and the Conservatives. Even some Labour supporters are thinking of voting tactically for Lib Dem candidate Tom Gordon as the best way to oust Conservative Andrew Jones.

But Mr Whitcroft says the area would be better served by him rather than Mr Gordon as MP:

“Labour, I hope, will be the next party of government. It’s not just about getting the Tories out. The question now is what is going to come next. Having a candidate from the party of government would be a key advantage.”

Local priorities

Mr Whitcroft began campaigning for the Labour Party aged 16 in his native Northampton. He moved to York to study politics at university and has remained there since. He is now a propositional development manager at insurance firm Aviva.

He was elected as a City of York councillor last year and will be just 25 years old on polling day. He was too young to vote for or against Brexit but says he would have opted to remain.

There has been an influx of twenty-something politicians of various political colours since the start of last year. The Lib Dems selected Mr Gordon as its candidate; Labour’s Keir Mather won the Selby and Ainsty by-election and Conservative councillor Keane Duncan overseas highways on North Yorkshire Council.

Mr Whitcroft says many people of his generation were politicised by the seriousness of covid, adding:

“It’s important to have young people represented in politics. I think it’s improved markedly over the past few years.”

Mr Whitcroft with party supporters.

A member of Harrogate-born Mr Skaith’s mayoral campaign team, he applied to be a Labour parliamentary candidate anywhere in North Yorkshire. Two weeks ago he was told to expect to be chosen for Harrogate and Knaresborough, subject to confirmation from the party’s governing National Executive Committee.

He was formally adopted in front of 30 or 40 party members at St Robert’s Club in Harrogate on Tuesday night last week.

Mr Whitcroft cites cleaning the River Nidd, hospital waiting lists, congestion, potholes and establishing a municipal bus service as priority issues. What about the Harrogate Station Gateway?

He says he supports the emphasis on active travel “but the implementation has been really poor”, which he says is symptomatic of “Conservative-run incompetence” in local government.

He enthusiastically backs Mr Starmer’s plans to build 1.5 million houses over the course of the next parliament:

“I think that’s a cracking idea and I hope to buy one. I’m a member of Generation Rent. By the time my dad was my age he had bought his first house. It doesn’t feel like even people in higher income brackets in my age group have a hope.”

He talks about this being the start of building up Labour locally:

“When the Harrogate Town Council is properly formed we will have a campaign machine in place so we can start winning Labour councillors once more.”

But short-term, is the idea of Labour winning in Harrogate and Knaresborough fanciful?

“David (Skaith) proves that’s wrong. Harrogate and Knaresborough is now under a Labour combined authority. I don’t think anyone could ever have imagined saying that.

“Labour is definitely the party that is going to be able to bring the best opportunities in Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

He insists he is the man to do it and says his City of York council victory in Fishergate over a long-standing Green councillor “proves I can win”.

“People have written me off before and have written me off at their peril. Don’t let my youth make you think otherwise. I’m definitely capable of being a candidate people of Harrogate and Knaresborough can be proud of and I’ll be doing my absolute best to be their MP.”

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Explained: The new constituency which will cover part of the Harrogate district

Voters in some parts of the Harrogate district will fall under a new constituency in six weeks’ time.

Polling day on July 4 will be the first time that the Wetherby and Easingwold seat will be contested.

The constituency replaces part of the former Selby and Ainsty seat, which will now be known as Selby.

In this article, the Stray Ferret looks at the implications of the new constituency and explains why it has been introduced and what it means for voters in our district.

Why has Wetherby and Easingwold been introduced?

In June 2023, the Boundary Commission made final recommendations to government over changes to constituency boundaries.

As part of a periodical review of the 650 constituencies in the UK, it looked at whether some seats needed to be reduced in size, increased in size or abolished altogether.

Among the recommendations was to introduce a new constituency called Wetherby and Easingwold.

At the time, Tim Bowden, secretary of the Boundary Commission, said the proposals were made following extensive consultation.

The Wetherby and Easingwold seat.

The Wetherby and Easingwold seat.

He added that the move to change the boundaries was made to “best to reflect local community ties”.

The changes, which include retaining a total of 650 constituencies across the UK, see each seat contain no less than 69,724 voters and no more than 77,062.

Where in the Harrogate district will fall under the new constituency?

Wetherby and Easingwold will take in areas of five current constituencies including Harrogate and Knaresborough, Thirsk and Malton, Elmet and Rothwell, Selby and Ainsty and Skipton and Ripon.

A total of 5.6% of the current Harrogate constituency will fall under the new seat.

This includes Boroughbridge, Minskip, Marton-cum-Grafton, the Dunsforths, Ripley and Nidd.

Goldsborough, Flaxby, Allerton Park, Hopperton, Follifoot, Spofforth and Burton Leonard will also be added to the seat.

The estimated electorate size of the new constituency will be 71,455.

Who will be contesting the seat?

It’s early days in the election campaign, but two candidates have already been announced for the seat.

Current Elmet and Rothwell MP, Alec Shelbrook, will contest the constituency for the Conservatives.

Mr Shelbrook’s current seat is among those being abolished as part of the boundary review.

Meanwhile, Reform UK will field Mike Jordan as its candidate and James Monaghan will stand for the Liberal Democrats in the new constituency.

So far, Labour and Greens have yet to announce candidates for the seat.

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Editor’s Election Diary: Is 5,000 days of local Tory control ending?

It’s been 5,134 days since Andrew Jones and Julian Smith were elected Conservative MPs for Harrogate and Knaresborough and Skipton and Ripon respectively in 2010.

Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a general election on July 4 means they could have just 40 days left in Westminster.

The national polls don’t look good for the Tories but unlike some of their colleagues, who have chosen to stand down, Messrs Jones and Smith are preparing to fight.

Mr Jones will be up against two men in their 20s from the main opposition parties: Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon and Labour’s Conrad Whitcroft.

The latter, whose candidature was announced just hours before Mr Sunak called the election, informed me he was too young to vote in the Brexit referendum when we met on Friday. Look out for the interview on Bank Holiday Monday.

While Mr Gordon has been attacking the Tories’ record, Mr Jones has been questioning his youthful opponents’ local credentials.

Having two twenty-somethings in the race is a step forward for better representation of young people in politics but so far just one of the five candidates declared — Shan Oakes of the Green Party — is female.

Reform UK has actually had two parliamentary candidates so far. It emerged this week that original selection Richard Brown had been replaced by John Swales after a dispute that resulted in Mr Brown saying of Mr Swales that he “didn’t want to see the bugger again”.

The website Electoral Calculus gives Mr Gordon a 62% chance of winning but UK Polling Report has Mr Jones slight favourite, giving him a 36.72% likelihood of success against Mr Gordon’s 35.4%. These regularly updated forecasts will be compulsive but perhaps not wholly reliable viewing in the weeks ahead given the disparities.

Electoral Calculus says Labour has a 59% chance of winning in Skipton and Ripon, but at the time of writing Keir Starmer’s team hadn’t even named a candidate. With an autumn election expected, the announcement of a July election caught many people on the hop — expect a busy week ahead of more candidates being announced. Will the Official Monster Raving Loony Party detect enough local lunacy to throw its hat in the ring?

It will be particularly interesting to see the outcome in the new Wetherby and Easingwold constituency, which includes Boroughbridge and numerous villages in the former Harrogate district.

The Stray Ferret will be in Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge, Knaresborough, Ripon, and Harrogate this week speaking to readers, local groups and businesses to find out what matters to you.

We also have several articles this weekend setting the scene for the campaign ahead. Stay tuned, as Election ’24 hots up.

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Five key issues in Harrogate district at the upcoming election

Over the next six weeks, politicians will be vying for votes and clashing over what they see as the key issues in the Harrogate district.

From the state of the NHS to the quality of water in our rivers, candidates of all party colours will be having their say on topics as they head into a six-week election campaign.

With this in mind, the Stray Ferret has looked at what could be the key election issues in the Harrogate district.

Water quality

Perhaps the most pertinent issue over the last six months is the quality of water in the district’s rivers.

Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, led the campaign for bathing water status at Knaresborough Lido.

Mr Jones is likely to use the success of the Nidd being granted bathing water status as part of his election pitch to emphasise his record as the town’s MP.

Robbie Moore, Defra Minister, and Andrew Jones at the Nidd.

But, Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat candidate, will likely point to the amount of sewage dumped into the district’s rivers as a counter narrative.

As recently as Thursday, Mr Gordon highlighted river pollution as one of the key issues in the area. Labour candidate Conrad Whitcroft also cites the state of the Nidd as one of his key issues.

Health service

Much like the rest of the nation, the Harrogate district is not immune to pressures on the NHS.

The area particularly struggles with GP appointments and dentists, with Harrogate in particular acutely lacking NHS provision for dentistry.

It’s a topic that has not escaped the attention of some of the candidates on July 4.

Tom Gordon pictured with Daisy Cooper, Lib Dem health spokesperson.

Tom Gordon pictured with Daisy Cooper, Lib Dem health spokesperson.

Both Mr Jones and Mr Gordon have raised the issue in their own way.

The Conservative MP brought up the topic of dentistry in the House of Commons in September while Mr Gordon met with the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson to raise the issue in March last year.

Expect the lack of dentistry in Harrogate to raise its head again at some point in the next six weeks.

Housing

Whether it be new estate off Kingsley Drive or 3,000 homes in the west of Harrogate, or the Manse Farm development in Knaresbrough, housing is a major issue.

The Stray Ferret has covered the extensive housebuilding in the area and its knock on effect onto local residents extensively.

Given its prominency in Harrogate and Knaresborough, the topic is expected to be debated extensively by candidates.

Mr Jones raised the issue over new build estates in the House of Commons as recently as April, where he pointed out he had run a ‘fair deal for new estates’ campaign for over a year.

Meanwhile, Mr Gordon is no stranger to criticising the government’s record on housing.

In April, he told the Stray Ferret that new homeowners should be protected from “dodgy developers” by strengthening the law on leaseholds and freeholds.

Education

The provision of education is always a hot topic at elections.

Both Mr Gordon and Mr Jones have clashed before over the issue of funding for schools.

But, in the Harrogate district, perhaps a more pressing issue is the provision for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

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The Stray Ferret reported recently on a significant increase in demand for SEND places.

A report before councillors on Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee on March 14 showed a significant increase in the number of education health and care plans submitted to the council.

The plans detail a child’s needs and are given to schools to consider ahead of a potential admission.

The matter has even seen parents from Harrogate go to Leeds to demonstrate over provision for SEND pupils.

Transport

The need for people to get around is another issue frequently raised in Harrogate.

Mr Jones, who is a former rail minister, has campaigned for better rail services and championed the town’s electric bus fleet.

Some of this has led to noticeable improvements in the town, such as more direct services to London. But other areas remain questionable.

Take for instance the pledge by government to divert millions of pounds of HS2 money towards potholes and road repairs.

While some roads in the Harrogate district have benefited from resurfacing, others still await repair.

Readers of the Stray Ferret this week shared with us pictures of some roads in the district which they feel are in need of some attention.

It’s a topic which election candidates in Harrogate may face at some point this campaign.

Harrogate district set to become election battleground

As the door to 10 Downing Street slammed on Wednesday evening, it effectively signalled the starting bell for a six-week election campaign.

The Prime Minister’s announcement that an election will be held on July 4 created political battlegrounds across the country’s 650 constituencies.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, the outlook is no different.

The constituency has been held by the Conservatives for 14 years. In that time, Andrew Jones, the incumbent MP, has won four elections.

He has seen off three different Liberal Democrat candidates vying for the seat, as well as numerous other opposition parties.

(Left, clockwise) Andew Jones, Tom Gordon, Shan Oakes, John Swales and Conrad Whitcroft.

(Left, clockwise) Andew Jones, Tom Gordon, Shan Oakes, John Swales and Conrad Whitcroft.

But the Lib Dems see the 2024 election as a different proposition. Tom Gordon, who will be contesting Mr Jones, has described it as a “once in a generation” election and a chance to kick out the Tories.

Mr Gordon’s challenge will be to overhaul the Conservative’s 9,675 majority – a required swing in the region of 8%.

The 29-year-old has framed the election in Harrogate as a choice between the Liberal Democrats and the Tories, a sign that the party is eyeing the seat as a major scalp.

Meanwhile, there are three other candidates so far in Conrad Whitcroft (Labour), Shan Oakes (Green Party) and John Swales (Reform UK) who are preparing to put a dent in the Tory dominance in the constituency.

But, despite the reported discontent within the Conservative backbenchers at the prospect of a summer election, Mr Jones has been defiant.

The day after Mr Sunak’s announcement, the Harrogate and Knaresborough MP issued a combative statement which he pledged to win voters trust.

He said:

“On 5 July we will wake up with Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister or Keir Starmer. No other outcome is possible. And there has only ever been a Labour Prime Minister when this constituency has elected anyone other than a Conservative.

“Choosing that local champion combined with choosing our next Prime Minister is the responsibility that lies with us all on 4 July. I hope that Harrogate and Knaresborough residents will choose me again and I will be working hard win that trust once more.”

Skipton and Ripon

In six weeks’ time, Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, will be tasked with defending his 23,694 majority.

The former Northern Ireland secretary will be hoping to make 2024 his fifth election win in the constituency.

He will also be looking to continue a legacy for the Conservative Party in holding the seat at every election since it was created in 1983.

Standing in his way will be Green Party candidate Andy Brown, who will contest the constituency for a fourth time. Simon Garvey will be standing for Reform UK.

Wetherby and Easingwold

This election will see some voters in the Harrogate district fall under a new constituency.

Wetherby and Easingwold, which replaced the old Selby and Ainsty seat, will cover areas such as Spofforth, Follifoot and Boroughbridge.

The new seat offers all parties a chance to stake their claim to become the first to hold the constituency.

So far, the Tories have announced that current Elmet and Rothwell MP Alec Shelbrook will stand for the party. Meanwhile, Reform UK will field Mike Jordan on polling day.

The Liberal Democrats have chosen James Monaghan as its candidate for the new constituency.

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Could Labour target Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next election?

Shortly after his victory speech, newly elected Labour Mayor of York and North Yorkshire David Skaith acknowledged how unusual it was for the party to win in a traditional Conservative heartland.

“North Yorkshire is not an area we normally do well in,” he told reporters huddled around him in Harrogate Convention Centre last week.

Labour leader Keir Starmer hailed it a “historic victory” for his party.

It was certainly a notable success given the traditionally Conservative voting nature of North Yorkshire, in particular in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

But does this mean Labour will begin to target the seat at the next general election?

Could Labour target Harrogate?

When the Stray Ferret spoke to Mr Skaith prior to his election win, we asked him about the fact that Labour does not perform well in Harrogate.

Mr Skaith, who was born in Harrogate, acknowledged that the town was traditionally Liberal Democrat and Conservative, but said it was a target area for his mayoral campaign.

“Certainly it is a key area for me personally because it is where I’m from and it is my hometown. It is a place that I love and I want to see it succeed and thrive.”

While the mayoral campaign may have proved successful for Labour, the party’s prospect of winning a seat in the House of Commons in the area remains difficult.

In general elections, the party’s highest vote share in Harrogate and Knaresborough came in 2017 when it managed 20% — but still finished third, well behind the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.

Every election since and before then has seen Labour record 10% or below for vote share as the party barely managed to reach 10,000 votes in all but one poll since 1997.

But the victory in the mayoral election appears to have galvanised the party and raises questions over whether it will commit more campaign resources to Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Andrew Williamson, treasurer of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, said the victory for Mr Skaith proved people locally had switched from Conservative to Labour.

Mr Williamson added that the win also showed there were no “no go” areas for the party.

He said:

“Labour winning in Harrogate and Knaresborough and in Rishi Sunak’s backyard is a seismic result. Even the local Tory MP acknowledged that Labour did incredibly well in the area.

“So many people told us they voted Labour, many for the first time and including many former Tory voters.

“They said they were impressed by Labour’s positive vision for our area and were pleased to see our new mayor, David Skaith, campaigning in Harrogate with shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, demonstrating that there are no ‘no go’ areas for Keir Starmer’s changed Labour Party.

“It’s clear that people want change for our area. It’s time that we got the chance to elect a new Labour government and Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party will be working hard to deliver that fresh start.”

‘A two horse race’

However, if you ask other political parties in contention for the constituency – Labour do not factor into the equation.

The Stray Ferret reported in December 2023 that the national Labour Party designated Harrogate and Knaresborough a “non-battleground” seat.

The party published a list online of 211 seats which it considers to be non-target constituencies.

Andrew Jones and Tom Gordon.

Andrew Jones and Tom Gordon.

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat candidate for the constituency, claimed the move proved that the contest is a “two-horse race”.

Mr Gordon’s latest newsletter, delivered after the mayoral election., reinforced the claim that “no other result is possible here” besides a Tory or Lib Dem win.

Labour has also yet to confirm a candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough despite the fact that a general election must take place before January 2025. By contrast, the Lib Dems confirmed Mr Gordon as its candidate in February 2023.

The opinion polls in recent months have swayed in the Lib Dems favour and painted a glum picture for the Tories.

However, Andrew Jones, the current Conservative MP, has his sights set on five election wins in a row.

Mr Jones has a 9,675 majority to defend and told the Stray Ferret in May last year that he had “no hesitation” in putting his name forward again.

“The election is about who offers the best future  – will it be Rishi or Keir Starmer. The answer is Rishi. Who will be the best local champion? Me.”

Perversely, a resurgent Labour Party may help Mr Jones if it takes votes off the Lib Dems. But how hard Starmer’s party will contest Harrogate and Knaresborough remains unclear.

Whatever it chooses, the election in Harrogate and Knaresborough is shaping up to be the closest for years.

Reform UK announces Wetherby and Easingwold parliamentary candidate

Reform UK has announced Mike Jordan will stand as its candidate in Wetherby and Easingwold at the next general election.

The new constituency was created as part of parliamentary boundary changes announced by government and will include locations including Boroughbridge, Spofforth and Bishop Monkton in the Harrogate district.

The next general election, which has to be held no later than January 28, 2025, will be the first time the seat will be contested.

Mr Jordan, who has been a North Yorkshire councillor for 15 years, resigned from both the Conservative Party and Yorkshire Party before joining Reform UK.

He said:

“I am delighted to be chosen to contest Wetherby and Easingwold in the forthcoming general election.”

The Wetherby and Easingwold seat.

The Wetherby and Easingwold seat.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party has chosen current Elmet and Rothwell MP, Alec Shelbrooke, to stand for the constituency.

Mr Jordan becomes the latest Reform UK candidate to stand for election in the Harrogate district.

The party announced Richard Brown as its candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough and Simon Garvey will stand in Skipton and Ripon.

The right-wing party was founded as the Brexit Party with support from Nigel Farage in 2018.

It was renamed in 2021 and is now led by Richard Tice.

The party announced last year that it would field candidates in every UK parliament constituency at a general election.

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Local Labour activist bids to stand for election in Skipton and Ripon

A local Labour Party activist has announced he is seeking the party’s nomination to contest Skipton and Ripon at the next general election.

Starbeck man Chris Watt, 46, has worked for the NHS for 15 years and is involved in a range of community organisations. He previously worked in Westminster for a minister in the last Labour government.

Candidates have until January 10 to put forward their names to stand against Conservative Julian Smith, who has held the seat since 2010.

Announcing his candidature today, Mr Watt said he used to work for the health trust that runs Ripon Community Hospital and community healthcare across the area.

Skipton and Ripon has been held by the Conservatives since it was created in 1983.

It has been designated a “non-battleground” seat by Labour, which is believed to be focusing more on Keighley.

But local Labour members were boosted by political forecasting website Electoral Calculus recently claiming it had a 53% chance of gaining Skipton and Ripon.

Mr Watt said:

“I’ve really enjoyed being out on the doorstep already with the Skipton and Ripon Labour team, talking to local voters about their concerns. It’s clear that tackling the cost of living crisis, improving public services and tackling anti-social behaviour are at the top of people’s minds.

“The latest polls show that it’s all to play for in Skipton and Ripon, with Labour poised to give Julian Smith and the Tories a real run for their money and potentially take the seat.

“So I think we need a candidate who not only has a track record of organising excellent campaigns, but who is dedicated to public service and can hit the ground running to deliver a brighter future for the area should they be elected by local people.”

Brian McDaid, a Skipton town councillor who finished runner-up to Mr Smith in 2019 with 11,266 votes, has already announced he intends to seek the party nomination again.

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