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Dear Godalming and Ash constituents,

As you will know by now, I was re-elected early on Friday morning on a reduced majority of 891. I want to thank you for placing your trust in me.

This was the most arduous campaign I have ever fought. With my team we knocked on 600 doors every day for the entire election campaign. I personally met a couple of thousand people on doorsteps - and if you were one of them thank you for the overwhelmingly friendly reception. ‘Friendly’ does not of course mean you were going to vote for me! But one of the best things about our democracy is the way we keep our disagreements civil.


Many of the people who did vote for me made it clear they were not voting for another Conservative government. We lost the trust of the electorate and as I said in my speech when the result was announced we need to show humility and courage as we try to understand why. But putting your trust in me as local MP is an awesome responsibility in its own right and I am deeply humbled you chose to do so.


I have some thank you's; firstly to thank Pedro Wrobel and the team at Waverley who did an impeccable job organising the election - both on the day and at the count. In such a tight election that was no mean feat and we were all extremely grateful for their professionalism.


Thank you as well to Paul Follows and the other candidates. Whatever our disagreements you kept this a clean fight in which, on the whole, personal attacks were avoided. That is so important if we are to maintain the dwindling trust of voters in politicians.


Thank you to my brilliant team who worked their socks off on my campaign. They delivered huge amounts of leaflets and letters (sorry for clogging up your letterboxes!), helped get our messages out on social media, canvassed and did telling on election day. It is quite a terrifying thing to knock on a stranger’s door for the first time and ask them their political opinion. But it is an important part of our democracy that we listen to voters and my team believe that from the bottom of their hearts.


Most of all thank you again to the people of Godalming and Ash for trusting me to be your voice in Westminster. This is going to be a challenging period for Conservatives but I will try to be a pragmatic and constructive voice of opposition in parliament as well as fighting for the local improvements we need.


Best wishes

Jeremy


PS there was quite a lot of coverage of my speech when the result was announced and of the Hunt family leaving Downing Street ([link removed]) for the last time. I actually had two speeches prepared ([link removed]) - for winning or losing - exactly as I did when I was first elected in 2005. For those who are interested this is what I said.


I am deeply honoured to be chosen again to represent the area I grew up in and love. After a gruelling campaign, I want to start to thank the people of Godalming and Ash for putting their trust in me.


I also want to thank my extraordinary supporters. I have been truly humbled by the amazing work we have done together under Adam’s leadership. Thank you for keeping the faith when nearly every national poll said we would lose.


But across the country, tonight is a bitter pill to swallow for the Conservative Party.


We have achieved much in government and transformed to economy compared to where it was post Pandemic. Some Conservatives will wonder whether the scale of our crushing defeat tonight is really justified but when you lose the trust of the electorate, all that matters is having the courage and humility to ask yourself why - so you can earn it back.


I was incredibly proud to serve under Rishi Sunak but I wish the incoming Labour government well.


Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are decent people and committed public servants who have changed the Labour party for the better. Whatever our policy differences, we all now need them to succeed. I hope in particular they use their majority to make much-needed reforms to the NHS in a way that is not easy for Conservative governments to do.


To Paul Follows I offer my congratulations on being a tenacious and determined adversary. I wish him well as I do the other candidates.


Finally a message to my family. I am so proud of my wife. Despite not being born in this country she was one of the most formidable canvassers I ever met - alongside Sue, Andrew and John of course.


And a message to my children who I sincerely hope are asleep now.


This may seem like a tough day for our family as we move out of Downing Street but it isn’t.


We are incredibly lucky to live in a country where decisions like this are made not by bombs or bullets but by thousands of ordinary citizens peacefully writing a cross on a bit of paper. Brave Ukrainians are dying every day to defend their right to do what we did yesterday so we must never take it for granted. Don’t be sad - this is the magic of democracy.

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Promoted by Sean Donovan-Smith on behalf of Jeremy Hunt and Godalming & Ash Conservatives, all at 2 Royal Parade, Tilford Road, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6TD.
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