Guildford Lib Dems choose Sue Doughty as next MP

4.20.03pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 30th May 2006

Sue Doughty and fellow Lib Dems celebrate her victory.

Guildford Liberal Democrats have overwhelmingly backed the town's former MP Sue Doughty as their next Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC).

At a meeting on Friday 26th May, over three-quarters of the votes cast went in Sue Doughty's favour. This was a happier event than the 2005 election, which saw Sue narrowly miss holding on to her seat by just 347 votes. The turnout for the PPC selection was a fantastic 82%.

Sue said she was delighted to have been selected and said she would be continuing the work that she and the local party had been doing ever since the election result in May 2005. "It was obviously not the result we had wanted and it was difficult to lose out by such a tight margin. Taking the five Guildford Town seats in the County Council elections at the same time made it a little easier though.

"The response from people locally ever since then has been very supportive and certainly encouraged me personally to try again.

"I'm very proud the local party has put its faith in me once again and now it is time to step up a gear - I'll be going back out into the community in Guildford, Waverley and the villages, meeting all those people who contacted me after the election and campaigning on those issues that really do make a difference locally. I think the Guildford constituency will welcome the fact that Sue Doughty and the Liberal Democrats are here to stay!"