The political landscape changed this week, as David Cameron swept to power on the back of a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition. STEPHEN LEWIS speaks to three local politicians – one blue, one yellow, one red – about what the future holds.


The new Conservative MP

JULIAN Sturdy, York Outer’s new Conservative MP, is still a bit star-struck. He went down to the House of Commons this week, where he took part in the meeting of Conservative MPs who, on Monday night, approved David Cameron’s proposals for a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

He is still not sure where exactly in the House of Commons they were, admits the 38-year-old married father of two, a farmer from Tockwith.

“It was one of the committee rooms above the chamber where Conservative MPs regularly meet. Room 16, I think. It was the first time I’ve ever been there.”

It was a “very exciting” meeting, he says. The MPs gave unanimous support to Mr Cameron’s proposals. What, no disagreements over sharing power with the enemy?

“There were some questions over how things were going to progress, but everybody was satisfied with the answers. There was unanimous support for taking things forward and seeing David Cameron in Number 10.”

The following evening, he joined the crowds outside Number 10 as Mr Cameron entered Downing Street as Prime Minister.

“There was a real sense of history in the making.”

He is delighted to see Mr Cameron in Number 10, but admits the coalition with the Lib Dems will involve compromise.

“We didn’t get an outright majority. That’s democracy. So we have to compromise. But I think with the deal Mr Cameron has got we will be able to get the strong, stable government we need to take the country forward.”

Yes, there are differences with the Liberal Democrats. He himself, for example, isn’t in favour of the Alternative Vote system that Mr Cameron has agreed to hold a referendum on (although he does favour a wholly elected House of Lords).

But he believes the two parties will work together to tackle the pressing issues that face the country – in particular, the economy.

“The most important thing is for us to cooperate in the best interests of the country to get a strong, stable government.”

That applies at local level as much as national, he says – so he will be ready to work with York Central’s Labour MP Hugh Bayley for the good of the city.

Winning the acceptance of Labour voters in York might not be that easy, however – especially after the Tory candidate for York Central Susan Wade Weeks, suggested on Facebook that Labour voters were scroungers who didn’t want to work.

“She was wrong to do that. I don’t believe that’s the case at all,” says Mr Sturdy. But don’t the comments suggest that, whatever the public image, little has changed in the ‘nasty party?’ He doesn’t accept that.

“Conservative policy has changed dramatically under Mr Cameron – and he has shown that by the way we are working together with the Liberal Democrats.”

Mr Sturdy himself certainly doesn’t seem nasty. He will rent somewhere to say in London while Parliament is in session, but the family home will remain at Tockwith. “I have lived and worked in York all my life and the children were born here.”

A manager will take over the 500-acre family farm – most of it rented, he points out – so he can devote his time to being an MP.

And he has an impressive grasp of local issues. His priorities for York are protecting the green belt (he thinks Derwenthorpe was wrong) and campaigning to improve the city’s infrastructure – roads, public transport broadband and so-on – so as to make the city more attractive to business.

A key part of that will be developing a long-term strategy for improvements to the northern ring road, he says. That is something the Liberal Democrat council simply hasn’t got. “They are doing it too piecemeal.”

Oops. A bit of Conservative/ Lib Dem discord already.


The Labour group leader

JAMES Alexander, the new leader of the Labour group on City of York Council, is wearing a pair of black trainers with a smart pinstriped suit when we meet. He hurt his foot just before the General Election, he explains.

How? He wasn’t kicking an image of Mark Stead, The Press’s political correspondent, by any chance?

It was Mr Stead who broke the story of how Coun Alexander had, just a couple of days before York went to the polls, staged a coup to replace the previous Labour group leader, David Scott.

That resulted in a Press front page headline, on election day itself, that read: Labour Leader Ousted. Hardly ideal – especially since Coun Alexander himself was standing for election as the Labour parliamentary candidate for York Outer The 28 year old looks discomfited. He doesn’t blame Mr Stead at all, or The Press for running the story, he says. “Things happen. The Press has a job to do. It was terrible timing. But the party has learned a valuable lesson.”

His leadership challenge came at the Labour group’s annual general meeting last week. But why did he press ahead with it, knowing there was to be a general election a couple of days later? Couldn’t he have waited?

Well, no, he says – not if he wanted to be leader of the Labour group in time to fight the next council election in May next year. It wasn’t possible to put back the date of the AGM. “So either I went for it on that date or I didn’t.”

Did that disastrous headline on election day affect his chances in the York Outer vote? He doesn’t think so – even though he came a distant third.

One person came up to him at the count and mentioned that front page. “But then he said ‘Congratulations! Well done! I voted for you’. So I don’t think it had a huge negative effect.”

His priority now is to prepare his party for the council elections next year. Under his leadership, he believes Labour can win.

“After eight years of Liberal Democrat control, £10 million of waste, inactivity over many big projects, and poor financial competence, I think we are highly likely to win control.”

Ironically, the national picture, with Labour now the official opposition to a Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government, might help, he says.

For a young man, he is very confident – and committed. He grew up in Shepherds Bush, London, the son of Labour-voting parents. He went to a failing comprehensive school before winning, on academic grounds, a place at a much more high-achieving state-run Roman Catholic school.

He saw first hand what difference a good education can make – and believes everyone deserves the same.

He came to York ten years ago to study at York University, and for the last few years has worked as a projects and outreach officer at York St John University.

He has been a councillor for three years, and now he is Labour leader he’s given up his job to devote himself full-time to his council role.

Over the next 12 months, his group must prove they can do better than the Lib Dems, he says. They are already working on their manifesto. A top priority will be to try to protect local services from budget cuts imposed by government.

They will be looking at reducing waste, helping York to make the most of the skills its workforce has, trying to push forward developments such as British Sugar and York Central, and also looking at issues such as the Barbican, and ensuring there are decent conference and leisure facilities in the city centre.

Helping to promote business will also be a priority – as will raising York’s profile.

“York doesn’t punch above its weight at regional or national level. It needs a more dynamic leader who is able to stand up and shout about how good this city is.”


The Liberal Democrat

THE last week has been the most exciting period of his political life, admits Phil Willis. And that is despite the fact that the 68 year old is no longer Harrogate’s Liberal Democrat MP, having decided to stand down two years ago following a small stroke.

Given that his party now have a share of power for the first time in decades, does he regret that decision?

Too right, he does. “It is the most extraordinary political event of my lifetime – and I say that without exaggeration,” he says, referring to the sequence of events on Tuesday night. “We had a Labour government in the morning, and by evening Brown had gone to the palace to resign, and we had a new Prime Minister in David Cameron and the first peacetime coalition government since the war.”

It is hard for him not to be part of that, he admits. “I look at my colleagues, and I would just love to be there.”

Particularly since he believes that if he had stood, he would have held on to Harrogate for the Liberal Democrats. Claire Kelley, the candidate in his place, lost by the narrowest of margins – just over 100 votes – to Conservative Andrew Jones.

“The margin was very small and inevitably a sitting MP, if they have worked hard, builds up a loyal following.”

But he chose not to stand, and it was the right decision.

“I had had a small stroke, and that made me rethink my view that I was infallible. And I would have been approaching 70 in the lifetime of the parliament. It was the right time to go.”

He is thrilled to see his party sharing power, and believes that if the coalition works, British politics will be changed for good.

It was a courageous move by Nick Clegg to agree to a deal with the Tories, because if it all goes wrong, the Lib Dems may well end up taking the blame. “But I think it will work. The public is fed up with tribal politics.”

He admits some Lib Dem voters will feel disgruntled at seeing the party in bed with the Conservatives. “I have been fighting the Tories my whole political life!” But as a constituency MP, his successes came from putting aside tribal politics to work for the good of the people of Harrogate and Knaresborough. The same should hold true at national level.

He is delighted to see people such as David Laws and York-born Vince Cable in Government. “These people would be welcomed in any cabinet anywhere in Europe.”

The five-year deal will force the ruling parties to work together – and the compromise manifesto that emerges will have real merit, he believes.

As for himself, the former head teacher will be doing some charity work – including with the Learning Foundation – and, as a former chair of the House of Commons select committee on science and technology, hopes to find some kind of science role.

And a return to politics, ever? Not as an MP. If he were to be offered a position in the Lords he would take it, he says. “But there is absolutely no suggestion that that will happen.”