South Devon General Election 24: Lib Dem Caroline Voaden wins

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00:00We did it! In December 1923 Henry Vivian, a Liberal, was elected as a Member of

00:09Parliament for Totnes constituency. He lost his seat just 10 months later and a

00:15Conservative has been elected at every single general election here since then.

00:20We have just overturned a hundred years of history in South Devon and what a

00:26brilliant result. I could not be more proud to be the newly elected Liberal

00:31Democrat MP for South Devon. I am also immensely humbled to have been

00:36supported by so many people who have never voted Liberal Democrat before. By

00:42the Conservative voters who knew that their party had left them behind and who

00:46have had enough of the scandals, the sleaze, the chaos and the self-interest.

00:51And by the Green and Labour voters who have, in their thousands, put their trust

00:56in me to speak up for the things they hold dear. To be a champion for our

01:02nature and our environment. To push for genuine solutions to the pollution

01:07crisis affecting our rivers. To help reverse the neglect that has seen our

01:11NHS crumble and its employees driven to despair. To fight for NHS dentists, for

01:18mental health and send support for our children. For genuine support for those

01:23struggling with the cost-of-living crisis or caring for a loved one. To help

01:28bring decency and respect to the conversation on immigration and to

01:33speak up for those who seek asylum and shelter from war, famine or persecution.

01:39To help restore our standing on the world stage and of course to be a strong

01:44voice standing up against the disaster that has been Brexit. I will do this and

01:51more. I will work every day to repay your faith in me by being a strong voice for

01:55South Devon in Parliament. By representing the things you care about

01:59and the place we all love. I would like to thank the returning officer and all

02:05his staff for their hard work and professionalism in organising this

02:08election and the High Sheriff of Devon Commodore Jake Moores for making the

02:12declaration. Thank you to all the council staff, all the counting agents

02:17who've worked so hard to make this election run smoothly and for the police

02:21for helping make sure everybody stays safe. And I'd like to thank all my fellow

02:26candidates. Without them we would not have democracy. I'd like to thank my

02:32family for their constant support. Stuart, Ellie, Laura and of course my dad who has

02:37pounded the pavements every single day to get me over the line and whose face

02:41is featured in almost as many leaflets as mine. But most of all I'd like to thank

02:47my incredible, indefatigable and brilliant team of volunteers. My Liberal

02:52Democrat colleagues of course but all of those who I didn't even know until a few

02:57weeks ago, many of whom have never fought a general election campaign. You have

03:01thrown yourselves into this campaign with the passion of people who really

03:06believed that change was possible. Every single one of you has held to make

03:10history tonight and we couldn't have done it without you. And lastly I would

03:15like to thank the organisers of the South Devon Primary. Contrary to what

03:20some people might think, I was always the one who was very sceptical about taking

03:24part in this process. It was a massive gamble and there was no predicting how

03:29the vote would go. It was a gruelling process to go through but also a

03:33privilege to be able to meet so many voters way ahead of the general election

03:38to explain to them who I am, what I believe in and the values that will

03:43drive my politics as an MP. To all the people who came to the Primary Hustings

03:48and believed in me, thank you for your faith. To the organisers of the Primary,

03:53thank you for creating something that fundamentally changed the way we have

03:57done politics inside Devon. This campaign has been the friendliest, the most

04:03enthusiastic, the most fun and the most inspiring of any political campaign I've

04:08been involved in. To go door-knocking with members of the Green and Labour

04:13parties has been at times quite surreal but it has also been inspiring. I am a

04:20big believer in PR. We need PR to fix our broken political system, even if it

04:27means those with opinions we deeply disagree with win seats. That's okay.

04:32Everyone deserves a voice and every vote deserves to be counted equally. We

04:39have to stop playing tactical voting games across the UK. If we had PR we

04:45would, as politicians, have to work to find the common ground between us rather

04:50than focus on what divides us as parties and politicians and that is what we have

04:55done here. Together we have overturned a hundred years of Conservative MPs and

05:00from the bottom of my heart I want to thank every single person who has voted

05:04for better politics and a brighter future for South Devon. Thank you.

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