Nigel Evans has been reselected as the Conservative candidate for the Ribble Valley in the upcoming general election on June 8th. Mr Evans, who has represented the constituency since 1992, was given the unanimous seal of approval by the Executive Committee of the Ribble Valley Conservative Association during a special meeting at Clitheroe Conservative Club on Friday 28th April.
Accepting his nomination from Cllr Peter Mullineaux, Mr Evans delivered an impassioned speech to association members: “This general election is not about if Brexit will happen, this was decided last June. Regardless of whether you voted to remain or leave, this is about negotiating the best Brexit for Britain, and who will govern the process.”
“With a clear mandate, Theresa May will be perfectly positioned for the post-Brexit negotiations and deliver on the result of the EU referendum. I trust her come away from Brussels with a favourable deal for Britain – the Prime Minister is more than a match for Merkel, Tusk and Juncker”
Continuing, Mr Evans stated the importance of maintaining focus during the campaign: “It is essential that we guard against complacency, whilst I appreciate the insight polls provide into the general sentiment of the British electorate, they fail to tell the full story.”
Closing his speech, Mr Evans emphasised the need for strong leadership: “When the British public visit polling stations across the UK on June 8th, they are posed the question of who they would rather see walking through the door at No 10 to lead this country for the next 5 years; Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn?”
The meeting concluded with a lengthy Q&A session for members of the public – which covered a range of issues from planning conditions to the sale of Whalley Library by Lancashire County Council. On the 25th anniversary of first being elected as the Member of Parliament, Mr Evans is embracing the task of campaigning once again to represent the people of the Ribble Valley.