I love where we live.  Settling in the Borders with my family a few years ago has proved to be one of the best decisions we have made.  We have been made very welcome, enjoy the companionship of good friends and neighbours and most importantly, our children have settled well in local schools and are thriving.  There are so many great aspects to life here in the Borders – the people, the countryside, the coastline, the charm of our thriving towns and pretty villages, great food and drink and hospitality, excellent sports and so much more.

There is so much to love about the Borders.

Our quality of life though could be better, and despite our rural beauty you know that many people are struggling – with the cost of living crisis and making ends meet, with never-ending waiting lists for NHS treatment, with lack of access to NHS dental services, with ever rising mortgage and rent costs making it harder for folk to get on the housing ladder and indeed a terrible lack of affordable homes for our young families.  On top of that, we face global challenges that impact our daily lives – climate change leading to more extreme and unpredictable weather, conflict in Ukraine and Israel-Gaza affecting food and oil prices as well as being fundamentally distressing.  I could go on, but instead I will explain why I want to help change things for the better.

It’s simple.  I cannot stand by and watch our country and our planet suffer any longer.  Parliament needs fresh voices and fresh energy to tackle our local, national and global challenges.

My message will be clear – whatever you may hear from others, the 2019 election result is history, and we now find ourselves suffering not just at the hands of an incompetent and corrupt Tory Government in Westminster, but an ineffective, weary and now defunct SNP-Green Government in Holyrood.  There is a choice at this election – to reject both worn-out Governments and their representatives and come home to the Liberal Democrats.  I’m not a career politician, I’ve had a successful career and made a difference and whilst we don’t crave power for power’s sake, we are not afraid of it – and I will be a hard-working champion and fresh voice for the Borders, following a fine Liberal tradition.