I was honoured and humbled to be elected with such a resounding vote of confidence on May 7th 2015. Thank you to everyone who voted. I hope to represent all of you in Fareham with integrity and dedication.
Acting Returning Officer, Peter Grimwood declared the result in the early hours of friday morning at Ferneham Hall, announcing that over 30,000 people had voted for the Conservatives, giving us a majority of over 22,000.
The result was a clear indication that Fareham had chosen economic stability over deficit, David Cameron's leadership over chaos and aspiration over dependency. I hope to be an effective advocate for Fareham in Parliament, working for more opportunities in education, better access to health services and greater investment and jobs here.
I am grateful to the police for ensuring the fair running of the election and the hundreds of council staff who manned polling stations and counted ballot papers, without whom the election would not have happened. I'm also grateful to my predecessor, Mark Hoban who has set the example of how an excellent Member of Parliament can make a positive difference to local people as well as to the country at large.
Lastly, I'm grateful to my indefatigable election agent, Cllr Brian Bayford who led a professional and successful campaign team, Tina Ellis who worked tirelessly on the administration and a brilliant team of volunteers and councillors, led on Fareham Borough Council by Cllr Sean Woodward, who gave their time so willingly and energetically. I have thoroughly enjoyed the team spirit during the campaign and hope to do everyone proud.