The new face of Epsom?

For years we have had Failin' Grayling, but he is standing down this time around and we have a new candidate for the blues, one Mhairi Fraser. She is some kind of lawyer and has some local roots.

Her official site at reference 1 is fairly bland, apart from an entirely worthy pledge to do what she can about the provision of mental health services across the country - worthy indeed, but a pledge which appears to overlook who has been in charge of that provision for so many years. And apart from a pledge to double the number of trains serving Worcester Park, Stoneleigh and Ewell West. What?

However, the Express, who ought to know about this sort of thing, brings on a bit more colour at reference 2. I read that Fraser was a speaker at a February Truss event where she told the enthusiastic audience that Sunak's extension of the smoking ban was just another bit of nanny state - while reserving her especial ire for the Covid lockdowns, a very big bit of nanny state.

Plus, in the past she has described Donald Trump as incredibly refreshing, neither sexist nor racist, certainly not a felon (and she should know as a lawyer), even travelling to the US to see him win the Presidency in 2016. She had never been so excited about a politician. Furthermore, she is more bothered about Islamic terrorism than Russia. Perhaps some of her best friends are not Ukrainians or Poles or Estonians.

Maybe the Liberal Democrat - another busy lady - will see her off. Will I swallow my red pride and indulge in a bit of tactical voting?

References

Reference 1: https://www.mhairifraser.uk/.

Reference 2: https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1863819/Who-is-mhairi-fraser-tory-candidate-epsom. Mhairi Fraser: Rising star with key role at Liz Truss’s 'Popular Conservatives' launch: While well-known MPs spoke at the launch of Liz Truss's Popular Conservatism event, there was one unknown rising star among the line-up: Mhairi Fraser - Christian Calgie, Express - Febuary 2024.

Reference 3: https://hopenothate.org.uk/2024/05/29/the-tory-trumpista-of-epsom-ewell/. A more lefty take on it all.