I stood for the Conservative party in Leeds North West in 2019, a seat which we last won nearly 30 years previously in 1992, and in which we'd not done better than third for nearly 20 years.
I fought a campaign focused on local issues, and delivering Brexit - because I felt strongly that we needed to deliver on our commitment to leave the EU.
I built a team, campaigned in areas that the local association had never campaigned in previously, and delivered our best result for many years - with the highest number of votes since 1997, and an increase in our vote share of nearly 8%. And I pushed the Lib Dems into third, and stopped them telling us they were 'winning here'. I also left the Association with a far stronger financial position, allowing them to campaign more effectively in local elections.
I never lost sight that I was campaigning to be a representative of constituents in Westminster, not Westminster's representative in their homes.
