Katherine Hardiman
The 2015 General Election saw the Conservative party win a majority vote and stand to form the next UK government.
A pure Conservative win was unexpected despite exit poll predictions but in the wake of the results, David Cameron is announced to be the sole leader for the next 5 years to come. After 3 party leaders resigned quite quickly post-election day – Farage, Clegg and Miliband – and half the country was sent into uproar, the air has now somewhat settled and, in Loughborough, Conservative candidate Nicky Morgan has been one of many Tory contenders to win over their constituency.
Nicky Morgan is a well-known political figure in Loughborough; she has been MP for our minority constituency since 2010 and has served in a range of official government roles such as Education Secretary and Minister for Women. 
Having this strong political background has served her well and no doubt contributed to her landslide win of 25,762 votes to Labour rival Matthew O’Callaghan’s 16,579. Speaking at the University Loughborough Candidate Election Debate earlier last week, Morgan talked of her respect for Loughborough in gaining an amazing £1million for RAG and raising awareness for mental health. She encourages students and younger voters to ‘make your views known’ and made a key point that a Conservative rule would be the best option for the economy with their economic plan;
“The conservative plan is important…Conservatives have set out six clear priorities: paying down debts, full employment, making work pay- lifting income tax threshold, making sure that every child gets the best start in life, security in retirement, making sure that everyone can own a home of their own.”
Morgan also did not shy away from commenting on making difficult decisions in the previous Conservative/Lib Dem coalition regarding tuition fees and she highlighted her work so far in securing a Bridge to Work scheme to allow younger people to gain work experience and develop valuable interview techniques among other employability skills. Although, she did comment that ‘there is [still] a long way to go’.
In promotional material, she states three main points on her plans as a Loughborough MP;
- Being an active voice for you locally and in Westminster
- Building the best community with you
- Securing a strong local economy to create more jobs and more businesses in the area
With a clear focus on the local economy, Nicky Morgan won her seat for Loughborough and will see it through the next 5 years.
Do you think she’s up to the job?
Photography courtesy of Dan Leedham, Liam Cooke and Mark Rennie
