The Conservative candidate for Stroud Siobhan Baillie has defended living 40 miles away from the seat after a resident claimed it was a “scandal”.

Writing on Facebook Mrs Baillie, who lives in the Witney constituency, said she has “not met a single person who wants to elect a public servant based solely on their postcode”.

The Tory nominee for the constituency also said she quit her full time job to “spend more time in Stroud” and has “worked tirelessly” to meet as many people as possible.

Her response comes from a letter sent to the Stroud News and Journal from an anonymous resident, who claimed Mrs Baillie “shows a fundamental disregard for our democracy and our representative system.”

The General Election is set to take place on December 12.

Below is every word from the resident’s letter and Mrs Baillie’s response.

‘NO CONNECTION TO OUR VALLEYS AND VALE’

The letter said: “It’s official, Siobhan Baillie is the Conservative candidate for Stroud. It’s also official, however, that Siobhan Baillie does not live in Stroud. Her address on the ballot paper is stated as “… in the Witney constituency”, 40 miles away from the place she is hoping to represent.

“This is outrageous; it should not be legal to stand in a constituency if you don’t even live there. It is not only a question of representation, it is also a question of trust.

“We elect MPs to go to Parliament to represent us, our issues, our concerns. How are you meant to do that when you’re not from the constituency and don’t even live here?

“Baillie shows a fundamental disregard for our democracy and our representative system. Stroud is a unique constituency, but that means that our people and political problems are unique, too.

“Baillie cannot claim to represent these issues if she doesn’t even care enough about our area to live here.

“People across the country – quite rightly – feel that politicians these days are “in it for
themselves” and “don’t care about you and me”. I’ve always tried to power through this, especially since we currently have an MP who bucks this trend. We need to be able to trust our politicians, now more than ever.

“Baillie has been a councillor in Camden and then attempted, unsuccessfully, to become an MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark.

“It is a scandal to return to a quasi-19th century system of unrepresentative “democracy” by letting a London Tory parachute in to “represent” Stroud when she has no connection to our Valleys and Vale.

“Should this occur however, I have a simple question for Siobhan Baillie. Does she believe she can undertake her duties as our elected representative whilst living 40 miles away from us?”

‘I AM SADDENED BY THE LETTER’

Siobhan Baillie said: “The Stroud News and Journal have sent me a copy of a letter that says it is ‘outrageous’ that I have an address in the Witney constituency and that ‘it should not be legal’ to stand to be an MP here on that basis. I do not know who it was from as the details were withheld but I have been asked to respond.

“I am saddened by the letter, the overall tone and the lack of understanding about the political process.

“My commitment to Stroud has always been that I will ensure we have a home in the constituency if I am lucky enough to become the Member of Parliament here.

“That said, I have not met a single person who wants to elect a public servant based solely on their postcode. As one person said to me, given the range of skills that are needed to be a MP, it would be an odd thing to focus on a set of bricks rather than the person and what they can do.

“It is of course legal for me to stand here. I also won a local competition fair and square to be your Conservative candidate. Since winning the selection in summer 2018, I have worked tirelessly to meet as many local community groups, businesses, charities, schools and residents as I can. I have campaigned for our college, high streets and railway station. You can see my work from my newsletters, social media and website.

“I reduced my hours at work to spend more time in Stroud and more recently, I quit my job completely so I can dedicate all my time to people here. This has naturally had an impact on my financial position. I am aware that not a lot of people realise that we do not get any funding at all to be a candidate and most of us cannot afford to get new homes in these circumstances.

“In any event, I think we should be encouraging people from all backgrounds, cultures, experiences and talents to run for parliament everywhere – not narrow the field in any way. Residents should have the widest and best choice possible at the ballot box.

“There are many many MPs who have been elected in places that they did not originate from. There are also many candidates (including from Labour) who are seeking to represent seats in this election where they do not live or have only recently moved to. As a result, the opposition political parties here should explain this in support my candidacy and to deal with letters like the one I have been shown.

“I will post the letter when it goes online as a full version and do a longer note about this on my website.

“Hope you are all well.

“Siobhan.”