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

Angela Richardson was recently reselected as the prospective Conservative candidate in the next general election by the  Guildford Conservative Assoc. There were no other candidates under the Conservative selection system; other candidates are only nominated if a sitting MP is deselected.

Given her high-profile opposition to Boris Johnson’s party leadership last year. Despite her claiming to be a great friend, likely, support for Ms Richardson was not universal, but it is believed she probably represented the view of most Guildford Conservatives.

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

The Guildford seat is often regarded as the epitome 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, Ms Richardson pushed aside doubts 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 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.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was selected as the Conservative candidate for the new Godalming and Ash Constituency in January, which includes Cranleigh and the eastern villages.