The candidates vying to be the MP for Romsey and Southampton North have made their case to residents.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked each of the individuals to explain why they would be the best person to represent the constituency.
The seat has been held by Conservative Caroline Nokes since it was created in 2010.
Ms Nokes is seeking re-election, however, YouGov polling has projected it could be an extremely close contest between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
Paul Barrett – Reform UK
I have been married for over 20 years and have two children. Good, old-fashioned family values are the nucleus of a good society.
I served in the Parachute Regiment; I want to serve this great country again. I work as a manager on government contracts. My ethos is that you fight the good fight every morning you wake up.
I feel strongly about the community. Romsey and Southampton North is rural with several small, prosperous market towns. Our area boasts some of Europe’s best trout and salmon rivers.
I am appalled with crime levels. The woke agendas that plague our society and the out-of-control levels of immigration. We must act now to reverse this awful trend.
Our veterans and retired generation are not supported.
Southern Water spilled raw sewage into the river Test and Blackwater 699 times in 2023.
The farming community needs help feeding an increasing population, rural crime, and energy costs. The bottom line is no farming, no food.
On immigration, the government’s moral obligation to its citizens is to keep them safe and protect its borders. The government ultimately failed in both.
Reform UK is the only party that would put the “Great” back into Great Britain.
Geoff Cooper – Liberal Democrats
Geoff Cooper grew [up] in Romsey and went to school in Southampton. Four generations of his family have lived in Romsey and Southampton North constituency since the 1930s.
He is currently a Test Valley borough councillor in North Baddesley and has built a strong reputation as a hardworking campaigner.
He originally trained as a professional actor and dancer but later moved into sales and commerce in which he has nearly 20 years of business experience.
Today Geoff works for Bacardi Martini Ltd across their 10 main European markets as an in-house consultant ensuring that these businesses work effectively and efficiently.
His front-line real-world experience in problem-solving and crisis management equips him unusually well for the role of a Member of Parliament.
He cares passionately about our local health services – his mother, Susan Tippett, was a local general practitioner – and he will fight day and night to ensure that the NHS is properly resourced.
As a father, Geoff understands the challenges local families face and he’s determined to fight for a better deal for them.
Christie Lambert – Labour Party
I am delighted to have been selected as the Labour candidate for my home constituency where I have had the pleasure of raising my now teenage daughters.
I moved to the Bassett area in 2012 with my husband and children, and since then I have served on Southampton City Council as a councillor and cabinet member.
In my role as cabinet member for communities and safer city in Southampton, I have seen first-hand the damage this Tory government has done to our local communities.
Crime rates, particularly amongst the youth, have continued to rise, and yet, we aren’t seeing a proportional allocation of policing resources or youth services in our area.
Most children born within the last 14 years have never known a life outside poverty, and many of us are seeing our mortgages and bills skyrocket. It is time for change. It is time to turn the page on 14 years of Tory chaos, and I firmly believe that only a Labour government could begin to undo this disaster.
A vote for Labour is the only logical option for Romsey and Southampton North in this general election to bring about the stability and change we so desperately need.
Caroline Nokes – The Conservative Party Candidate
Since I was first elected in 2010 it has been a huge privilege to serve this constituency and to work to help residents.
Having lived in the Test Valley all my life and attended local schools and colleges, I know the area inside out. But I also have the experience and track record of holding government to account.
My role has not just been about delivering bottled water to Southampton residents when Southern Water failed them, it’s been about sticking up for them in parliament. I’ve always been a voice for this area in Westminster, not Westminster’s voice here.
If a change of government is coming this area needs someone with the ability to hold new ministers to account from day one. I’ve always been a determined and independent voice, unafraid to speak out when others stay silent, fiercely sticking up for minorities and championing women.
Whether it’s delivering sandbags in floods, sorting problems with passports, making sure constituents were brought back from overseas during Covid, I’ve been regularly judged to be the most responsive MP in parliament.
Connor Shaw – Green Party
No response received.
Fennie Yap – Independent
No response received.
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