Lib Dems the frontrunners to oust Geoffrey Cox

As election campaigns get under way, Lib Dems in Torridge and Tavistock say their candidate, Phil Hutty, is poised to defeat Sir Geoffrey Cox, who has held the seat since 2005. The Liberal Democrats are on the up after beating the Conservatives at the May local elections and winning four stunning parliamentary by-election victories since the last General Election. The seat of Torridge and West Devon was held by Liberal Democrat John Burnett (now Lord Burnett) from 1997 to 2005. Now a revival is under way after a strong showing in recent local elections and the selection of a dynamic new parliamentary candidate, Phil Hutty.

Welcoming the news that the country will go to the polls on 4 July, Mr Hutty said:

‘For years our area has been taken for granted by an out-of-touch Conservative Government that has failed to get the basics right and lurched from crisis to crisis - now it’s time for a change. 

‘Local health services have been brought to their knees, people’s mortgages and rent have skyrocketed and water companies have been allowed to pump their filthy sewage into our rivers and beaches. All this by a Conservative government more interested in fighting between themselves than standing up for the country.

‘Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for a fair deal. It’s a vote for a party that will stand up for our community and our health services.’

Phil Hutty is an experienced campaigner who was born and brought up in Devon.  As a social work manager, he was moved to enter the world of politics through his experience of rural life and his dedication to public service, having seen at first-hand the inadequacies of Government, and the effects their disastrous decisions have on people. Since his selection in January this year, he has spoken personally to more than 1,500 people across the constituency. He said:

‘The word from the doorstep is that people are seriously fed up with the way the current government has taken our area for granted. They have heard enough empty promises and meaningless gestures and are ready for a change. Time and again, I am speaking to lifelong Conservative voters who are sick of this tired government and ready to support me. They know, as do Labour supporters, that I stand the best chance of winning, and I have told them that I will never take their vote for granted and will always listen and try to earn their vote every day.’

Published and promoted by Kevin Walke on behalf of Phil Hutty (Lib Dems) at 13 Chingswell Street, Bideford, Devon EX39 2NF