Calum Miller selected for Bicester and Woodstock

A local press release brings the news:

Local Liberal Democrat members have chosen Calum Miller as their candidate for the next general election in the newly-created seat of Bicester and Woodstock.

Calum Miller said:

I am honoured to be selected as the Lib Dem candidate in the new seat of Bicester and Woodstock. It’s a particular privilege to be asked to be a strong, local voice for the community in which I live.

In the next General Election, voters here have a straight choice between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. Labour don’t hold a single council seat round here. Only the Lib Dems can deliver a fresh start after years of Tory misrule.

I promise to work tirelessly to earn the trust and support of local residents. I will use all my experience of local and national government to speak up for this area, here and in Westminster. I will call the government to account for failing families and individuals driven into poverty by the cost of living crisis. I will oppose any watering down of commitments to tackle climate change and protect our rivers and environment. I will demand action to invest in our public services, so our school buildings are safe and waiting lists come down.

I look forward to spending time listening to people across the constituency and building a movement for positive change. Increasingly, local residents tell me they have had enough of top-down Tories. It’s time for a people-powered campaign that listens to local voices and brings lasting, sustainable change to our communities. There’s no time to lose.

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said:

I am delighted that Calum has been selected to be our candidate for the new Bicester & Woodstock constituency. I am very sad that the boundary changes mean that I will no longer be able to represent residents in Kidlington, Yarnton, Begbroke, Gosford and Water Eaton after the next election, but by electing Calum as their new MP, I know that they will be in safe hands.

About Calum Miller

Since being elected to represent Otmoor division in 2021, Calum has been Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for finance, property and investments. He is also a Senior Fellow at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government, which he helped to establish and served as its inaugural Chief Operating Officer for over a decade. Previously, he was a senior UK civil servant, with experience in the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Department for International Development (DfID) and Foreign Office (FCO). Calum has been a school governor for over a decade and volunteers as a junior rugby coach at Gosford All Blacks. Calum lives locally, in the constituency, with his wife and children.

About the new Bicester & Woodstock constituency

This is a new constituency with no historical antecedent. It comprises eight wards from Cherwell district and five from West Oxfordshire. Eight of the thirteen wards elected a Liberal Democrat at their last local election, showing the Liberal Democrats to be the clear challengers to the Conservatives here (2 Con, 2 Green, 1 Ind, 0 Lab). In terms of the existing parliamentary seats, the component parts making up Bicester and Woodstock are:

• The town of Bicester (population 37,000) from Banbury;
• Kidlington (population 15,000), Begbroke & Yarnton, from Oxford West & Abingdon;
• An area of West Oxfordshire including the town of Woodstock, and Eynsham, Cassington, Hanborough, Freeland, Stonesfield, Combe and Tackley, from Witney; and
• Two large rural wards surrounding Bicester (Launton & Otmoor, and Fringford & Heyfords), both of which are partly from Banbury and partly from Henley.

You can follow Calum Miller on Twitter/X.

See all the Liberal Democrat PPCs selected and publicly announced so far here.

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