Major u-turn as Andy Carter announces decision to contest Warrington South seat again

TWELVE months on from saying he was not going to contest the Warrington South seat at the next General Election Andy Carter has performed a major u-turn on the eve of nominations closing.

With no other suitable candidate coming forward for the Tories, Mr Carter today announced his u-turn saying: “I hadn’t planned to stand, however, the election came earlier than I had expected and I’ve been overwhelmed by the messages and calls I’ve had from local people asking me to reconsider the decision I had taken 12 months ago. They’ve seen me working hard for the last four and a half years as an active Member of Parliament, that I’m approachable and willing to stand up for local people in a way that others haven’t in the past. So, I’ll be putting my name forward and I’ll be on the ballot paper as the Conservative Parliamentary candidate on 4th July.

“Some of the comments that made me reflect the most have come from people who’ve previously been opposition party supporters and politicians, on all sides, who’ve praised me for the way I’ve approached the role of representing this area and recognised the things achieved while I’ve been their Member of Parliament, some have even made their comments publicly.

“There are still many more things I’d like to change and improvements we need to see in the town so I’ll be continuing to campaign for better healthcare facilities, more visible policing and improvements to our local transport network to cut congestion across Warrington and make it easier and cheaper to get about. National security, energy security and food security are top issues

“We have near record levels of employment in Warrington South, many great companies in critical sectors have located here and I know from hosting my annual jobs and apprentice fair that ensuring we have training for the right skills to help young people into those jobs is critical. The sector Academies at Warrington and Vale Royal College that I’ve helped to secure funding for will make a big impact in the coming years and every school in Warrington South is now Ofsted rated good or outstanding, up from 68% when this Government came into office. A great education is the most valuable thing we can provide for our children to ensure every young person gets the best possible start in life.

“At this election, I want residents to have the choice, to be able to pick someone who cares deeply about this area, has had a career outside of politics and knows about life in the real world, who knows how to get things done, has the experience of working in Westminster and Warrington, will champion local businesses and isn’t afraid to stand up and say when they don’t agree with decisions being made. No other candidate demonstrates all of these skills and commitments and I hope people will do me the honour of re-electing me as their Member of Parliament.

Despite announcing his decision to stand down last year, Mr Carter has remained active in the community, in particular holding the Labour-run Warrington Borough Council to account for a near £2b debt.
He has also continued to campaign on local issues.

Mr Carter was Member of Parliament for Warrington South since the General Election in 2019, following a career in the media, having previously worked as the Managing Director of one of the UK’s largest radio groups.
One of the key factors which made him decide not to contest the election was the Boundary Commission’s decision to remove Lymm from the Warrington South constituency to Tatton, removing a large chunk of the Tory majority secured at the last General Election.

Andy Carter announces that he is not seeking re-election for Warrington South at next General Election