Angela Richardson Reselected as Guildford’s Next Tory Candidate in Reshaped Constituency

Published on: 25 Feb, 2023
Updated on: 25 Feb, 2023

Angela Richardson celebrates her reselection in The Three Pigeons pub with members of the Guildford Constituency Association.

By Martin Giles

Angela Richardson was reselected last night as the prospective Conservative candidate in the next general election. There were no other candidates as under the Conservative system of selection other candidates are only nominated if a sitting MP is deselected.

The selection was conducted by a committee of the Guildford Conservative Association.

Given her high-profile opposition to Boris Johnson’s leadership of the party last year it is likely that support for Ms Richardson was not universal but she probably represented the view of most Guildford Conservatives on that issue.

The redrawn boundaries of the Guildford Parliamentary constituency means that the seat might now be less safe for the Tories. Excluded are many of the villages to the south down to Cranleigh and now included are the villages to the east of Guildford including the Clandons and Horsleys where opposition to the Conservative-led Local Plan and planning policy is high.

Guildford General Election result 2019. Lib Dem Zoe Franklin reduced the Conservative majority to 3,000 but where will the 4,000 votes for the deselected Anne Milton go next time? – Graphic Wikipedia

The Guildford seat is often regarded as the epitomy of a “true blue” constituency and since 1910 only Lib Dem Sue Doughty, in 2001, broke their dominance. But Guildford is now high on the Liberal Democrat’s “blue wall” target list.

However, any doubts were pushed aside by Ms Richardson as she reacted to confirmation of her selection. She said: “Absolutely delighted tonight to be readopted as the Conservative candidate to fight the next election on the new parliamentary boundaries in Guildford and of course we popped to the Three Pigeons afterwards to celebrate!”

The new Guildford parliamentary constituency includes areas to the east of the borough and excludes villages to the south.

“The new seat takes in Effingham where Jeremy [husband] and I moved to 21 years ago on Valentine’s Day when I was 24 weeks pregnant with our eldest Julia and we lived there for seven years before moving to Ewhurst and know the area and surrounds very well.”

She also announced that as the boundary change meant her current home is no longer with the new constituency boundary she would be moving: “Sadly Ewhurst, in all the boundary changes, moves into the new Dorking and Horley seat…”

“I believe it’s important to live in the constituency you both currently represent and want to represent in future, so all change as today I collected the keys for our new home in Guildford town centre.

“Looking forward to commuting into Westminster on the train every day to represent you in Parliament and all the conversations I can have with residents as I continue to regularly knock doors between now and the next general election.”

In January, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was selected as the Conservative candidate for the new Godalming and Ash Constituency.

But not all Conservative MP reselections have been unopposed. The Conservative MP for Stafford, Theo Clarke, has been deselected. She has represented the town since 2019, said she was “deeply disappointed” not to have been adopted as candidate by a constituency association committee and that she had faced abuse after announcing plans to take maternity leave.

Ms Clarke was one of dozens of MPs whose resignations ultimately led to Mr Johnson having to stand down as prime minister. There is speculation, however, that those MPs who played a part in Mr Johnson’s downfall are now facing a backlash from Tory grassroots.

She added: “I have only returned from maternity this week and I have been very disappointed by the abuse that I have received since I announced I was having a baby.

“The selection committee have made their decision and it is my full intention to go the membership.”

Earlier this week the veteran Conservative MP Damian Green (Ashford, Kent) was also deselected by his local association.

Responses to Angela Richardson Reselected as Guildford’s Next Tory Candidate in Reshaped Constituency

Ben Paton Reply

February 25, 2023 at 6:09 pm

Will she continue to sit on the fence regarding Guildford’s disastrous Local Plan?

Will she speak up for the people of Ripley, the Horsleys and Ockham?

Not a promising record to date.
David Roberts Reply

February 27, 2023 at 2:55 pm

Will Angela Richardson lift a finger to improve on Sir Paul Beresford’s ineffectual opposition to “Wisley new town”? There’s no sign of it – or that she cares tuppence about her prospective new constituents in the (still just about) rural East of the borough.

What is the position of other parties’ candidates on Wisley? It seems no-one wants our votes in this part of the borough.
- Angela Richardson Reply
  
  February 28, 2023 at 10:19 pm
  
  I met with local residents who are deeply concerned by the Wisley development on Saturday January 7 this year, kindly organised by Sir Paul Beresford (Con, MP for Mole Valley). It was hugely helpful to hear both their concerns and indeed their firm views on the proposed development.
  
  Be in no doubt, I will be following this closely and will work with Sir Paul in order to make sure their voices are heard.
  
  Angela Richardson is the Conservative MP for Guildford
  - Jules Cranwell Reply
    
    March 1, 2023 at 11:10 am
    
    This is too vague from Angela Richardson. We need to know where you stand on this and the other “strategic sites” earmarked for development in the Local Plan.
    
    Will she or will she not lobby her government and GBC to remove these developments? Her prospective residents in the east of the borough expect more, if they are to give her their votes.
    - Ben Paton Reply
      
      March 1, 2023 at 9:08 pm
      
      Has Angela Richardson said anything over the years about the Guildford Local Plan?
      
      Did she ever examine/analyse it?
      
      Where does she stand on the Housing Target – which is based on ONS statistics that are known to be wrong?
      
      Or on the reliance on new developments along the A3 – which the Highways Agency has not approved?
      
      Or on Social Housing aka Council Housing?
      
      Or on pollution caused by Thames Water in the River Wey?
      
      Is she in favour of the Dunsfold New Town?
      
      Will she seek revisions of the NPPF?
      
      And so on and so forth…
      - David Roberts
        
        March 5, 2023 at 4:53 pm
        
        From all this, it appears Ms Richardson [Conservative MP for Guildford] is being deliberately ambiguous – claiming to ensure residents’ “voices are heard” about Wisley while not taking a position on it or criticising her own party’s ghastly Local Plan.
        
        At least Sir Paul Beresford [Conservative MP for Mole Valley] says he opposes the Wisley project, even if he has failed even to meet repeated requests to file an objection to it.
        
        Can Zoe Franklin [prospective Lib Dem candidate for Guildford] do any better than this for the LibDems? My vote and many others in the east of the borough are up for grabs.
  - William Brewster Reply
    
    March 2, 2023 at 11:00 pm
    
    Where else do we build the much needed housing in Surrey as the population grows if not on an old airfield next to the m25/A3?
    
    Taylor Wimpey need to buy the rest of the land behind the airfield and build more new houses.
    
    Most of the current homeowners in Ockham were very aware of the plan to develop the airfield but still moved to Ockham. The blight made Ockham fabulous value for the very people now complaining.
Stewart Toll Reply

February 28, 2023 at 2:52 pm

Thanks for the well-researched and well-written post.
Jules Cranwell Reply

March 4, 2023 at 7:53 am

We have still not heard where Angela Richardson stands on the Local Plan and the green belt.

Does she not understand that this is the most pressing issue in the villages she will be hoping to represent?

How are we supposed to decide how to vote, as long as she remains silent on this most critical issue?

I’ll make it easy with two simple questions for her.

1. Do you support, and will lobby for, a review of the Local Plan, in light of the corrected ONS population projections?

2. Do you support, and will lobby for, the restoration of the green belt to those 14 villages removed from it by your GBC colleagues in 2019?