Bracknell MP Dr Phillip Lee was unveiled as the new Liberal Democrat candidate for Wokingham at a special conference today.
Speaking about his candidacy, Dr Lee said: “I am delighted to have been given this chance to run for the Lib Dems in Wokingham.
“The warmth of reception that I have received has been more positive than perhaps people would expect.”
The decision for Dr Lee to run as a candidate in Wokingham and not Bracknell, his previous constituency, was made by the Liberal Democrat Party.
Explaining the decision, Dr Lee said: “This is about winning elections, and the party felt we would do better in Wokingham than Bracknell.
“It is about winning seats, and there are lots of soft Tories, as well as Labour voters who we can win over here.”
Dr Phillip Lee went on to say: “I want to get on with beating John Redwood in the next election.”
“In effect, he’s almost a Brexit Party candidate who believes in a clean, hard Brexit.
“There is a desire for change in Wokingham, and also in the Thames Valley. Businesses are looking for support.”
Dr Lee expressed that he felt the next general election would be defined by Brexit.
“We don’t know what context the next general election, whether we will have left the EU or not, or even how we’ve left.
“We don’t know quite how it’s going to fall, but the issue that is defining the nation at the moment is Brexit and it will continue to do so.
“Any trade deal involves the transfer of sovereignty. And if we follow the World Trade Organisation, we will be handing that sovereignty to Washington,” said Dr Lee. “I don’t believe the constituents of Wokingham want to hand their sovereignty to the Trump administration.”
Also at the event was Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, Sir Ed Davey.
He said: “Phillip has a huge wealth of skills and experience. He’s a fantastic MP and he’s going to be fantastic in Westminster.
“Support for the Liberal Democrats in Wokingham as grown significantly and you can see that in the Wokingham Borough Council.”
Since May, there have been 12 polls that show the Liberal Democrats ahead of the Labour Party across the UK.
Stephen Newton, chair of the Wokingham Borough Liberal Democrats said: “I absolutely think he’s going to win against Redwood.
“Wokingham is a remain-voting area and that needs to be represented.
“I think Dr Lee will appeal to everybody, no matter their voting history.”
