Statement from The Rt Hon Julian Smith CBE, prospective parliamentary candidate for Skipton and Ripon
I am honoured to be standing once again as a candidate in the next General Election on Thursday 4th July.
It has been the privilege of my life to represent the people of Skipton and Ripon since 2010 and, in that time, serve as Chief Whip and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under two Prime Ministers.
Now is the right time to take our message to the country.
Inflation is nearly back to normal and at its lowest since 2021. Our economy grew by 0.6 per cent this quarter, the joint fastest growth in the G7. The Rwanda Act has passed, flights are scheduled, and small boat crossings are down by 36 per cent. National Insurance Contributions have been cut by a third. Defence spending will rise to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030. Debt is on track to fall. We’ve seen the biggest six-month reduction in NHS waiting lists in over ten years. The Triple Lock has been strengthened and guaranteed. And all of this in the face of the worst international crises since the Second World War.
What I am most proud of, however, is what we’ve been able to achieve locally over the past few years.
It was humbling to work to ensure businesses and families got the national support required during Covid. To be part of the broader community efforts here to ensure we got through this darkest of times. And to meet families and individuals impacted by the horrors of the pandemic.
Since then, a brand new, state-of-the-art Airedale Hospital will be completed by 2030. Next year’s schools’ budget will be the largest ever in real terms and in real terms per pupil for Skipton and Ripon schools. A new Community Diagnostic Centre is now open at Ripon Community Hospital, cutting local elective and cancer backlogs. £56 million has been secured and work underway on the ambitious A59 Kex Gill realignment project, putting a stop to the regular road closures. Local sports facilities have been awarded over £300,000 since 2021 alone. Ticket offices at Settle and Skipton have been saved after a hard campaign. £4 million delivered for Airedale Hospital to create a new Urgent Treatment Centre. Nearly £40 million invested in Skipton and Ripon farmers over the past year. Record funding for North Yorkshire Council. Additional cost-of-living payments for over 7,000 local households last winter. Massive investment in local broadband services, meaning superfast coverage up from just 2 per cent in 2010 to 95 per cent today. I am immensely proud of the small role I have been able to play.
But I know this election will be tough, like any other. If re-elected, I will continue to fight for the causes that matter most to you. We’ve achieved so much – but the job’s not done.
I hope you will put your trust in me once more on the 4th July.
Julian
