Ian Sollom to compete for Liberal Democrats in new St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire seat at next General Election

The Liberal Democrats have confirmed that Ian Sollom will compete for them in the new constituency of St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire at the next General Election - and he has begun his campaign by announcing his opposition to the Cambridge congestion charge.

His selection means another showdown with Conservative Anthony Browne, who will switch from his current South Cambridgeshire seat to fight for the new constituency.

The two competed against one another at the 2019 General Election in South Cambridgeshire, with Mr Browne emerging victorious in a tight battle, winning 46.3 per cent of the vote to Mr Sollom’s 42 per cent.

Since then, the Boundary Commission has announced that there will be changes to existing constituency boundaries and the creation of a new St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire seat which will bring together parts of the current South Cambridgeshire, South East Cambridgeshire and Huntingdon constituencies. All of those constituencies are held by Conservatives - with culture secretary Lucy Frazer in South East Cambridgeshire and Jonathan Djanogly in Huntingdon - and would have been considered safe Tory seats in the past, but with the new geography of St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, the Lib Dems will be hopeful of registering their first MP in the county.

Mr Sollom, a former South Cambridgeshire district councillor now living in St Neots, said: “It’s a huge privilege to be standing for the Lib Dems in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire. I’m looking forward to making the case for change at the next General Election.

“Whether you are currently represented by Jonathan Djanogly, Lucy Frazer or Anthony Browne, the Conservatives have all let us down, and after the chaos of recent times they don’t deserve another chance.”

Highlighting a key area for his campaign, he added: “Anyone who has knocked on any doors in the constituency recently will know that people are crying out for better access to GPs. I want to make sure we have the resources so people can see a GP within a week, or within 24 hours in urgent cases. I’ve also launched a health survey for residents to tell me their experiences, so I can fight for the other improvements we need.”

And he took early aim at his Tory opponent.

“I’m looking forward to taking on Anthony again, who has disappointed as MP for South Cambridgeshire, even defending Dominic Cummings’ lockdown excursions while the rest of us obeyed the rules,” he said.

Mr Sollom also set out his position early on the controversial Cambridge congestion charge proposals from the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), which is controlled by councils run by Lib Dems and Labour.

He called for the revised proposals for peak-time charging, published on Friday, to be scrapped and alternative ways to fund bus services to be explored.

He said: “The GCP’s proposals for congestion charging in Cambridge remain deeply problematic, placing a huge burden on far too many people across our area simply trying to go about their daily lives. And these latest changes mean the scheme will not even pay for the transformational public transport our communities so desperately want.

“The GCP proposals need to be put aside and alternative solutions, such as a workplace parking levy, be developed as soon as possible.”

Mr Browne is also opposed to the congestion charge plans.

His current South Cambridgeshire seat will be contested at the next General Election for the Tories by Chris Carter-Chapman, who has likewise voiced opposition to the proposals.

Pippa Heylings, a South Cambridgeshire district councillor, will compete for the Lib Dems against him.

Labour has yet to confirm who will stand for them in either seat at the election, which must be held by January 2025.