Liberal Democrats select Pippa Heylings to fight for South Cambridgeshire in next General Election
The Liberal Democrats have selected Pippa Heylings as their prospective Parliamentary candidate for South Cambridgeshire.
Cllr Heylings, who represents Histon and Impington for the party on South Cambridgeshire District Council, pledged to “put people first and put party politics to one side to deliver good outcomes” if elected to the seat.
South Cambridgeshire is one of the marginal constituencies in the country and it would take a two per cent swing for the Lib Dems to defeat the Conservatives, as they did at the last district council elections in 2018.
Anthony Browne was elected to the seat for the Tories at the 2019 General Election, securing 46.3 per cent of the vote, while Ian Sollom secured 42 per cent for the Lib Dems.
Cllr Heylings, meanwhile, won 19 per cent of the vote in the safe Tory seat of South East Cambridgeshire at that election, which Lucy Frazer retained with 53 per cent.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: “Pippa will be a fantastic candidate for South Cambridgeshire. Pippa has an inspiring career in helping to tackle climate change and has worked tirelessly to protect her local environment in Cambridgeshire.
“When I visited South Cambridgeshire during this year’s local elections, I heard loud and clear from former Conservative voters who have had enough with this Conservative government.
“Boris Johnson is taking voters in Cambridgeshire for granted In the Liberal Democrats, voters have an alternative to a Conservative government which is pumping sewage into our rivers and sleaze into our politics.”
Cllr Heylings, who won her district council seat in 2018, said she was inspired to take up politics by her parents, a GP and a nurse, who instilled a sense of the importance of giving back to the community and helping your neighbours.
A business owner, who has advised governments across the globe on environmental
issues, she was present at COP26 as a council representative.
She said she has real-life experience of the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises in Cambridgeshire, and had witnessed first-hand the negative consequences of Brexit, along with the struggles caused by the Covid pandemic.
Pledging to be a “strong champion for business” and the local economy, her top campaign priorities include:
- Urgent action to protect local rivers from sewage
- Properly funding schools and special educational needs support in Cambridgeshire; and
- Strong action to solve the adult social care crisis.
Cllr Heylings lives in South Cambridgeshire with husband of 25 years, Rob, with whom she has two children, Billy, 24, and Asha, 20.
She said: “I am truly honoured to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for South Cambridgeshire. As your next MP, I will fight tirelessly to give the people of South Cambridgeshire a strong and passionate voice, both here and in Westminster.
“That means listening to and engaging with our community, and fighting your corner on the issues that matter most. I hear it time and time again on the doorstep: people frustrated that our current Conservative MP does not reflect the values of our special corner of Cambridgeshire. Well, I’m pleased to say, the days of being taken for granted by the Conservatives are numbered. Unlike our current MP, I will put people first and put party politics to one side to deliver good outcomes.
“With your help, we can move South Cambridgeshire forward and make sure our shared values are properly represented in Parliament.”
The Lib Dems are feeling hopeful of further gains in marginal ‘Blue Wall’ constituencies like South Cambridgeshire after winning a by-election victory in Chesham and Amersham in the summer, where there was a 25 per cent swing from the Conservatives.
The Tories also lost control of Cambridgeshire County Council earlier this year, with a Lib Dem, Labour and Independent coalition in place after no party achieved overall control.
The next General Election is due in May 2024.
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General Election 2019: South Cambridgeshire result - Conservative Anthony Browne wins seat
