Sir George Young – MP for North West Hampshire – has announced that he will be retiring as of May 2015 so will not be contesting the next General Election.
Speaking at the Executive Council of the North West Hampshire Conservative Association at the Guildhall in Andover last night (Friday 29th November 2013), Sir George said: “Earlier this year, the Chairman asked me whether it was my intention to stand again and we agreed that I would give an answer at this evening’s Executive Council.”
“I have decided to retire from the House of Commons at the end of this Parliament. I have had a good innings and it is time to let others have the chance that I had back in 1974. I know there are some top quality candidates waiting in the wings to take over the baton.”
“I will have done 41 years as an MP by May 2015, and I have done 17 of them as a Minister. I admire those who are older than I am and who want to continue, but I propose to declare at 41 not out.”
Sir George retained his seat in 2010 with an increase of 7% to 58% and with over 31,000 votes. He is married to Aurelia Nemon and they have four children.
Honestly it is time! The only answers to letters I and our family have sent to this man about local affairs have always been sidelined and we haven’t seen anything come out of his time in government that has hit the headlines in helping Andover. Let’s hope new blood will bring a social shift in politics in Andover.
do andover a favour and go now!!!!!!
Well, we had heard this was coming. Sir George has served his party loyally, culminating in his promotion to Chief Whip, but if he stood again in 2015 it would have been the voters casting judgement on whether he had served his constituents well or not.
We are now vexed with the question of who the Conservatives will pick as his replacement. Looking in from the outside it would seem the top runners locally are David Drew and Iris Anderson. However, David Drew was defeated at the County Elections by the UKIP candidate, Tony Hooke, so his election track record is not good.
The other option is for Conservative Central Office to parachute in an outsider. With the news this weekend about Tim Yeo’s Constituency Association in South Suffolk giving him the order of the boot, might he be looking for a “safe” seat. However, David Drew has stated openly on the letters page of the Andover Advertiser that he believes representation should be by local people, given his criticism of Cllr Hooke for living in Yateley (but who spends 15 hours a day in Andover and Winchester running his business and representing his constituents).
I would suggest that for the first time in countless years in North West Hampshire, the Tories will not be able to assume their favoured candidate will get elected.
In a straw poll of three, as a write, my fellow commentors have unamimously given their verdict on Sir George, and it’s a pretty big thumbs down so far.
Good riddance to the man who apparently said of the homeless that they are “the people you step over when you’re coming out of the opera”.
I have known about this for some time now, also the rumour that Cllr North is being ear marked as his successor, could this be true ? only time will tell.