Tag Archives: richmond park

Caron Lindsay

Tim Farron campaigns in Richmond Park

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th April 2017 - 12:50 pm

The first big photo-op of the election campaign saw Tim Farron return to the scene of our most audacious recent triumph – Richmond Park, where Sarah Olney beat Zac Goldsmith.

Here’s a reminder of her stunning victory speech just 4.5 months ago.

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William Hobhouse

Next priority – elect a second Green MP

By William Hobhouse | Mon 5th December 2016 - 9:32 am

caroline-lucas-600

I hope it hasn’t been forgotten that the Green Party didn’t stand a candidate in Richmond Park, and expressly backed Sarah Olney. Labour did stand a candidate, but it was widely reported that some Labour members didn’t think they should have.

On the other side of course, neither the Conservatives nor UKIP stood, therefore leaving the centre-right vote clear for Zac Goldsmith. It was an unusual by-election, 95% of the vote went to two people. There may not be another by-election like this in this parliament.

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 46 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Tim Farron says thank you to Richmond Park campaigners

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 2nd December 2016 - 12:06 am

Tim Farron emailed party members tonight to thank them for their work in Richmond Park. He said he was proud of the campaign that we ran and hoped we would get the result that we deserved.

This is what he said:

The polls have just closed in Richmond Park and counting is about to begin.

Win or lose, I know that we’re going to get a tremendous result. But right now I want to tell you how proud I am of the campaign we just fought.

I’m so proud of our candidate, Sarah Olney, who wasn’t even a member of our party 18 months ago. She has put in an amazing effort against a tough opponent in Zac Goldsmith.

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Chris Maines

Richmond Park – a few days to win

By Chris Maines | Sun 27th November 2016 - 9:06 am

Since the end of October our energy in London has been focused on the Richmond Park by-election. We have spent hours campaigning and gathering data about which voters will support our superb candidate, Sarah Olney next Thursday. We now have a few days to get those people who have said they will vote Liberal Democrat to do so on Thursday. Everything is now concentrated on getting out the vote (GOTV).

The next few days will be even more intense, with thousands of letters and leaflets to be delivered and, we hope, hundreds of Liberal Democrat activists moving in for the win.

Rarely has there been such an important by-election for the party and for the country. We stand to elect a Liberal Democrat woman who will add her experience to our team of MPs and demonstrate the party is back in game of taking on big money and winning. Many pundits have doubted the Liberal Democrats could bounce back within 18 months of the last General Election and achieve a sensational win. Our army of enthusiastic and energetic activists is determined to prove them wrong.

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 8 Comments
Paul Walter

‘Within 48 hours of Goldsmith’s standing down on Tuesday, the Lib Dems had leafleted the entire constituency’ – Guardian

By Paul Walter | Sat 29th October 2016 - 10:05 pm

richmond parkThe Guardian have a great article which liberally quotes Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems’ “prospective candidate” for Richmond Park and has this passage:

Within 48 hours of Goldsmith’s standing down on Tuesday, the Lib Dems had leafleted the entire constituency and were trying to find a bigger office from which to mastermind their campaign.

Nassar Kessell, a party activist who was out on the streets on Friday, admitted that Goldsmith, who fought an unsuccessful campaign to become mayor of London earlier this year, was popular locally. But he was still beatable.

“There’s no doubt that people like him. He’s been the MP for a very long time. But there is certainly a part of the constituency that is upset about the issues he’s championed – Brexit, for example. We can absolutely provide the alternative.”

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Posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged | 14 Comments
Lester Holloway

In the mayoral election, why did Zac Goldsmith get such a low vote in his own backyard?

By Lester Holloway | Thu 27th October 2016 - 10:23 am

Zac Goldsmith’s bid to become London mayor was memorably described as a “dog whistle campaign in a city with no dogs.” And few places in the capital demonstrate that better than Richmond Park itself.

As the local MP you would have thought his personal vote would make it a walkover. First preference mayoral votes, a good indicator of popularity, in Richmond Park shows that Boris Johnson won his second term in 2012 by a greater share in all but one of the constituency’s eleven wards compared to Zac in 2016.

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Mary Reid

++BREAKING NEWS : Zac Goldsmith has resigned as MP for Richmond Park

By Mary Reid | Tue 25th October 2016 - 5:39 pm

The Conservative MP for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith has, as expected, resigned his seat. You can view his speech in Parliament earlier today here.

More information on the by-election will appear here as we get it.

Update: Zac Goldsmith will stand as an Independent and the local Conservative party will not put up a candidate.

Posted in News | Also tagged | 78 Comments
Mary Reid

++ BREAKING NEWS: Heathrow decision

By Mary Reid | Tue 25th October 2016 - 11:13 am

 

As expected, the Government has favoured the expansion of Heathrow, over its rival Gatwick.

The Transport Minister will make an announcement at about 12.30pm today, but the BBC reports that the decision was approved by a Cabinet Committee earlier this morning.

The political interest in this will be to see how many Conservatives speak out against the decision.  Ministers will be allowed to state their opposition to the plans, but have to get permission from the Prime Minister first – these will include Justine Greening and Boris Johnson.

Down in Richmond all eyes are on Zac Goldsmith, the Tory MP for Richmond Park. He has said on a number of occasions that he will resign as an MP if Heathrow gets the go-ahead. He reiterated his promise again last week, and wrote:

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The Voice

Who will be fighting Richmond Park and Guildford in a snap General Election?

By The Voice | Sat 30th July 2016 - 11:30 am

More selection news from seats the party used to hold comes in as we prepare for a possible snap election.

In Richmond Park, held by Susan Kramer until 2010, Sarah Olney has been selected to fight Zac Goldsmith. From the local Guardian:

Sarah Olney was selected on July 22 as the party believes new Prime Minister Theresa May might consider going to the country before 2020 to take advantage of Labour in-fighting and to precede a possible recession.

Ms Olney, who campaigned for GLA member Caroline Pidgeon during May’s London Assembly elections, said it would be a huge honour to represent the

…

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Caron Lindsay

Robin Meltzer selected as PPC for Richmond Park

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 26th February 2013 - 2:32 pm

Another PPC selection came to fruition last night. Robin Meltzer was chosen as the Liberal Democrats’ parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park, North Kingston and New Malden. He said on his website:

I am thrilled to have been selected as the new Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Richmond Park, North Kingston and New Malden. A huge thank you to the members across Kingston and Richmond who supported me and to the many volunteers who worked on my selection campaign.

Paddy Ashdown and Robin MeltzerThe first thing he did this morning was to …

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Mary Reid

Parliamentary candidate sought for Richmond Park

By Mary Reid | Wed 28th November 2012 - 8:49 am

As Chair of Kingston Liberal Democrats I do have to declare an interest in this advert….

For full details on how to apply please go the Lib Dem members’ website.

The Local Party Executives of Kingston Borough and Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats invite applications for selection as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the constituency of RICHMOND PARK.
 Completed applications must be received by the Returning Officer by noon on Friday 14 December 2012.
Richmond Park is one of the most high profile constituencies in the country and a key Conservative/Liberal Democrat marginal that is a top priority for the Regional and National Party. The

…

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Helen Duffett

Susan Kramer unlikely to re-stand in Richmond Park

By Helen Duffett | Mon 11th October 2010 - 4:46 pm

From the Kingston Guardian today:

The chances of a repeat of this year’s bitter election battle between Zac Goldsmith and Susan Kramer receded this week as the former MP indicated she was unlikely to contest the seat at the next election.

Mrs Kramer officially remains Liberal Democrat candidate for Richmond Park until six months after the election, but when asked whether she would seek the nomination again she said it was not on her agenda.

She said: “I think you move on and you don’t constantly try to replay the past. I would have liked the chance to do another

…

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Posted in News and Party Presidency | Also tagged and | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

LDV Saturday caption competition: “Kramer vs Zac” edition

By Stephen Tall | Sat 31st July 2010 - 1:45 pm

There’s no prize at stake – just the opportunity to prove you’re wittier than any other LDV reader …


(Image courtesy: FromPlay.com).

Here’s former Lib Dem MP for Richmond Park Susan Kramer with her Tory successor Zac Goldsmith. What do you think they might have been saying or thinking about each other?

The winner of our most recent caption competition, the “Jeremy Browne passes the hat” edition – according to The Voice’s judging panel of one – was this one by Andrea Gill.

Got a photo of a prominent Lib Dem …

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Posted in Caption Comp | Also tagged and | 21 Comments
Stephen Tall

3 to see: Lib Dem #GE2010 campaign coverage

By Stephen Tall | Thu 8th April 2010 - 10:00 am

Pushed for time, but want to keep up-to-date with how the campaign’s going? Here are today’s must-reads ….

Nick Clegg launching Scottish Lib Dem election campaign (BBC)

It will be almost like old times for the Lib Dems, with former leader Charles Kennedy joining Nick Clegg to launch the Lib Dems’ Scottish campaign – as CK himself tweeted earlier today. Here’s how the BBC reports it:

Mr Clegg will get the Scottish campaign under way in Glasgow along with Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott and senior party figures, including Charles Kennedy.

The party – Scotland’s second biggest in Westminster terms –

…

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Stephen Tall

What does Zac make of the Tories’ latest nuclear policy?

By Stephen Tall | Sun 28th March 2010 - 4:25 pm

Just four months ago, the Tories’ non-dom candidate for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith, promised that his party would “ring in era of integrity” – and insisted no new nuclear power stations would be built under a Tory government.

Zac told The Guardian last December:

… that if the party sticks to its existing policy, it would never allow the building of a new nuclear power station. He said Tory policy “was to give a green light to nuclear power as long as there is no call on the taxpayer, not just in terms of building, but maintenance, security and disposal of

…

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Helen Duffett

Zac Goldsmith’s £260,000 “punt” on getting elected

By Helen Duffett | Tue 15th December 2009 - 12:05 pm

Latest figures from the Electoral Commission reveal that Zac Goldsmith, Conservative candidate for Richmond Park, has spent more than a quarter of a million pounds of his own money in the hope of getting elected.

From today’s London Evening Standard:

“The environmentalist has donated £260,000 since he was selected to fight the Richmond Park seat in 2007, according to the latest figures from the Electoral Commission…

“Virtually all of the money goes to office staff and “office costs”. The party says that Mr Goldsmith set up his own office in Richmond, separate to the local association’s headquarters. The candidate employs two members

…

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Mark Pack

Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith accused of avoiding £5.8m tax as non-dom

By Mark Pack | Sun 13th December 2009 - 1:07 pm

So writes today’s Observer:

Zac Goldsmith, David Cameron’s green adviser and a prospective Tory MP, has been accused of avoiding the payment of nearly £6m in tax during the past 10 years by adopting non-domiciled status.

Goldsmith, the prospective Conservative candidate for Richmond Park, is estimated to have a personal fortune of at least £200m, inherited from his late father, Sir James Goldsmith.

Goldsmith admitted last month that he had claimed off-shore “non-dom” status. Since the news became public, he has said he has given it up.

However, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, has calculated that Goldsmith is likely to have

…

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Stephen Tall

What does £10,000 mean to you? To Zac Goldsmith it’s a “very marginal tax benefit”

By Stephen Tall | Thu 3rd December 2009 - 12:20 pm

Under pressure from a deeply unhappy David Cameron, the Tories’ ‘trustafarian millionaire’ candidate for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith, has at long last pledged to end his non-dom status with immediate effect – his original plan, before the row sparked by the original Sunday Times revelations, was to become a full UK taxpayer next year.

But you’ve got to love this ‘man of the people’ quote from his spokesman, who, when asked how much the change in tax status would cost Mr Goldsmith, replied:

The benefits were very marginal. I don’t know if it is £10 or £10,000.”

Hat-tip: the Evening Standard’s …

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Mark Pack

Five of the seven top seats for graduate population have LibDem MPs

By Mark Pack | Fri 16th October 2009 - 12:20 pm

A new analysis of how many graduates there are living in each Westmister Parliamentary constituency shows that five of the seven seats with the highest proportion of graduates amongst their working age population have Liberal Democrat MPs.

The figures, from the University and College Union, show that overall 29% of the working population have degrees with Susan Kramer’s Richmond Park constituency topping the list at 63.61%.

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