There’s good news for Lib Dem candidate Stephen Lloyd in his campaign to win the Tory seat of Eastbourne – one of his residents, a former Tory MP, has pledged to vote for Stephen declaring the Lib Dem “will prove to be a dedicated, open and hardworking member of parliament for the Eastbourne constituency”.

The Rye and Battle Observer has the story:

A FORMER Conservative MP and Eastbourne voter has publicly vowed not to vote for Tory Nigel Waterson at the forthcoming General election. Ernle Money, a Conservative MP for Ipswich in the 1970s who lives in Furness Road, said he could no longer support Mr Waterson and would be switching allegiance and voting for Liberal Democrat candidate Stephen Lloyd to be the town’s next MP. …

Mr Money, a retired barrister who has lived in Eastbourne for more than 20 years, said, “I’ve been increasingly driven to the conclusion, over a number of years, that Mr Waterson is no longer the right person to represent the Eastbourne constituency. I remain a dedicated member of the Conservative Party nationally, but feel Mr Waterson does not represent the Conservative values I hold dear.

“He said he would answer questions from his constituents but he has ignored my questions and that, I believe, is totally disingenuous. In addition, I cannot support Nigel Waterson because I believe he has broken all Conservative values. In short, he has been a rotten MP and on numerous occasions, he has jumped onto any passing bandwagon and taken up causes after they have already been dealt with by others.

“Consequently I have decided to nominate and support Stephen Lloyd locally as my view, shared by many others, is that he will prove to be a dedicated, open and hardworking member of parliament for the Eastbourne constituency. Mr Lloyd will bring to this important and prestigious job a set of personal values which, regretfully, I believe no longer apply to the current incumbent. I believe it is vital that the Eastbourne MP should live in the constituency with his family and work from there.”

Stephen Lloyd said he was “deeply honoured” to receive Mr Money’s personal support.

“I respect that Mr Money remains a Conservative,” said Mr Lloyd. “His support for me in Eastbourne & Willingdon is based on what is best for our town rather than party politics. I am determined, like Mr Money, to put the needs of local residents first before personal advantage.”