Congratulations to Dr Simon Opher on his huge win for Labour in General Election. But also congratulations to the Stroud count team who at 1.50am produced the 1st result in Gloucestershire and one of the very 1st in the entire country.

Also congratulation to the constituency voters who gave Stroud one of the best and highest % turnouts in the country at 71%.

Commiserations to Siobhan Bailey who, although a splendid constituency MP, could not prevent the national tidal wave for Labour from regaining Stroud.

Driving around the constituency in the days before election it was obvious that Stroud would return a Labour candidate: - Labour posters were abundant with a few Green but hardly any Conservative.

Simon becomes the third Labour candidate to win Stroud and all three were coincidentally first elected during Labour’s post-war landslide victories :- Ben Parkin (1945), David Drew (1997), Simon Opher (2024).

I’m sure all voters in Stroud wish Simon all the best in his duties as our MP.

Regards

Tom Newman

Stroud