I’m sure many of you have seen that there were three by-elections last week, triggered by the resignation of three Conservative MPs: the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, his ally Nigel Adams and David Warburton who resigned amidst serious allegations over his behaviour.
The by-elections were in Uxbridge, in Selby and Ainsty (in Yorkshire) and in Somerton and Frome (in Somerset). In Selby and Ainsty, the Labour candidate, Keir Mather, overturned a Conservative majority of 20,000 while in Somerton and Frome, the Liberal Democrat candidate overturned the Conservative majority of 19,000 and both did so comfortably. However, in Uxbridge, it was a tighter contest with the Conservative candidate narrowly holding the seat by just 495 votes, down from a Conservative majority of 7000 in the previous elections.
By-elections results are not indicative of general election results but can give an interesting insight into the mood of voters between times. It seems clear from these results that people are looking for change.
Meanwhile, locally, I know many parents and pupils were understandably concerned following several incidents regarding bike thefts around Warwick and Leamington, including one particularly worrying incident in St Nicholas’ Park when a school pupil was threatened with a knife. I have raised these incidents with the police who have assured me there will be a range of measures in place including ongoing patrols around the area.
No child should have to feel unsafe coming or leaving school nor should any parent have to worry about the safety of their child returning from school. It’s crucial that these worrying incidents are taken seriously, and I was relieved to hear of the increased police presence around the area.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any concerns regarding this or other incidents locally.
Finally, as the school year comes to an end and pupils begin their summer holidays, I’d like to say thank you to all our fantastic teachers for all their work over the past year in difficult circumstances. Your dedication and tireless work in our schools is so appreciated. I hope you all have a well-deserved break over the summer holidays.
Parliament is now in recess following a (more than) tumultuous year. The parliamentary calendar runs September to July, and it seems incredible that we have lived through so much in this short time. The passing of the Queen was followed by Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s kamikaze budget in October, their resignation and the selection of Rishi Sunak to be Prime Minister by the Conservative’s Parliamentary Party and a cost-of-living crisis.
As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any issues or concerns you would like to raise with me. I can be reached on [email protected] or on 01926 882006.
Matt Western
MP for Warwick and Leamington
