Wakefield Council Lib Dem leader Tom Gordon selected as Westminster candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough

Councillor Gordon is leader of the Lib Dem group on Wakefield Council, representing his home town of Knottingley since 2019.

The Lib Dems confirmed today that Coun Gordon has been officially selected as the candidate.

Harrogate and Knaresborough is one of the top target seats in Yorkshire for the Lib Dems.

The party previously held the seat with Phil Willis from 1997 to 2010.

The seat has been held by Tory Andrew Jones since 2010.

Coun Gordon, 28, said he will focus on getting residents in the constituency a fair deal.

He said: “I am truly honoured to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

“I will fight tirelessly to give local people a strong voice, both here and in Westminster.

“This is a beautiful and iconic part of the country with a strong sense of community.

“We need an independent voice who will listen to concerns and stand up for local people.

“People tell me our area deserves a fair deal.

“I’ll be the candidate that champions our area, standing up for local health services, tackling sewage in our rivers and demanding action on the cost of living crisis.

“Residents in our area deserve better than the chaos and incompetence that we see in Westminster at the moment.

“At the next election here, it will be a choice between four more years of a Conservative government taking them for granted or a Liberal Democrat MP being your local champion.”

Coun Gordon works as an advisor for a national carers’ charity.

As a former young carer himself, he said he is passionate about giving a pay rise to carers and giving them the support and recognition they deserve.

In last year’s local elections, the Liberal Democrats won the popular vote and the most seats across the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency.

Coun Gordon announced at the end of last year that he would not be standing in Wakefield at May’s local elections.

He was elected to represent Knottingley in a shock victory four years ago, gaining with 63.1 per cent of the vote in one of Labour’s safest council wards, becoming the first Lib Dem elected to Wakefield Council in over a decade.

Phil Willis, former MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said: “Tom would make a fantastic member of parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

“I have seen first-hand how passionate he is about delivering change for local people across the region and know he will be a strong voice standing up for the constituency.

“Across the country, people are turning to the Liberal Democrats to oust out of touch Conservative MPs.

“People are fed up with being taken for granted by the Conservative party and I’ve heard this loud and clear from people across Harrogate and Knaresborough.”