I’m delighted to be standing as the Conservative candidate for the new East Wiltshire constituency, having previously served as MP for the former Devizes constituency (which, despite the name, encompassed Marlborough and Pewsey) since 2019. For two years before that, I was an advisor to the Government on civil society issues – and then the Political Secretary in No 10 when I worked to help finally ‘Get Brexit Done’.
Before politics, I spent most of my career running two successful charities, one working with prisoners and ex-offenders and the other with young people and families. This taught me how tough life is for so many people in Britain today, and that we badly need to help those on the margins of society. It also taught me that in order to succeed, people need clear boundaries and positive values.
My political beliefs flow from this, and they are straightforward. I believe in families, in neighbourhoods, and in the nation state.
Families are the foundation of our lives, and society needs strong families to bring up children well and help look after us as we get older. We need to make it easier for parents to get by, and more support for people with caring responsibilities.
Neighbourhoods need to be safe for children to play in, and for teenagers and older people. They need to be beautiful, without ugly developments wrecking the landscape – new housing is vital, but in places and in numbers that local people approve of. And they need to offer the opportunities – training, jobs, leisure activities – that create prosperity and well-being for all.
I want to see a low-regulation, low-tax, high-wage economy. There are too many restrictions on enterprise caused by red tape. Taxes are too high. We need to promote local growth by incentivising entrepreneurs and supporting SMEs and community businesses.
The Wiltshire economy is built on farming, and farming depends on a flourishing and sustainable environment. I passionately believe in our obligation to nature and to the people who steward it in order to make the food we eat. The Government has committed the funding farmers need – but we still have too much delay and confusion in the subsidy schemes.
The nation state holds everything together. I was proud to vote for Brexit in 2016 because I thought that Parliament – not unelected judges and officials in Europe – should make our laws. I still think that, which is why I voted in Parliament to stop illegal immigrants using European human rights laws to stay in the UK.
In addition to stronger border security we need stronger defence overall. I am proud of the significant financial investment we have made in our Army since 2019. Our Army is absolutely world-class – but it’s too small, and a lot of the kit it needs is still years away. We must do more to build up our defences, and that starts with looking after Army people – our soldiers, their families, and our veterans.
Pete Force-Jones – True & Fair Party
