Shock poll shows Lib Dem Tom Gordon set to win Harrogate & Knaresborough at general election

The most detailed survey in five years has predicted that Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Tom Gordon is set to defeat the Conservative Party in Harrogate & Knaresborough at the next election. 

The MRP poll by YouGov, reported in The Telegraph yesterday, finds that Andrew Jones MP would narrowly lose their seat to Liberal Democrat candidate Tom Gordon if an election were held now. More widely, the Liberal Democrats are predicted to win 48 seats at the next election, most of which from the Blue Wall.

This follows four unprecedented by-election wins in formerly safe Conservative seats in the past two years, as well as hundreds of gains in local elections across the Blue Wall since 2019. The Liberal Democrats won the local popular vote and the majority of councillors in Harrogate & Knaresborough at the North Yorkshire local elections.

The Liberal Democrats have made constituencies like Harrogate & Knaresborough the centrepiece of the party’s General Election campaign, vowing to ‘tear down the Blue Wall’ and capitalise on the thousands of voters who are sick to their back teeth with the Conservative government. 

The Liberal Democrats in Harrogate & Knaresborough are running major campaigns against the Government focused on fixing local health services that have been run into the ground. The party are calling for the right to see a GP within a week or 24 hours if in urgent need, a legal guarantee to start cancer treatment within two months of an urgent referral and ensuring people can get an NHS dentist appointment when they need one.

Responding to the poll, Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate & Knaresborough, Tom Gordon said:

“People in Harrogate & Knaresborough deserve better and this poll shows that thousands of voters are crying out for real change after being taken for granted by this Conservative government. 

“Sadly, Conservative MPs are too busy fighting with themselves to care for our area. We shouldn’t be in a situation where local families can’t get a GP appointment, water companies get away with dumping sewage in our rivers, and people can’t afford the basics. We need a change - and this poll tells us that voting for the Liberal Democrats is the best way to deliver it.

“While the Conservative Party could not be more out of touch, the Liberal Democrats are campaigning hard for a fair deal. As our area's next MP, I would stand up for Harrogate & Knaresborough and give local people the voice that they need and deserve.”