Robbie Moore says hard work and focusing on what matters at a local level are what won him re-election as Ilkley's MP, despite all the polls suggesting he would be beaten by Labour.
In an exclusive interview airing on the launch day of Ilkley's first ever dedicated radio station Your Ilkley, Mr Moore also says that sitting on the opposite side of the House of Commons chamber when he returns to Westminster today will 'take some getting used to'.
Polling ahead of Thursday's general election had suggested that Robbie Moore would lose his seat to Labour candidate John Grogan. In many other areas of the country, Conservatives were voted out - but in Keighley and Ilkley it was a shock result that saw Mr Moore re-elected with a majority of 1,625, down from 2,218 in the last election in 2019.
Robbie Moore MP tells Your Ilkley:
"I was incredibly nervous - I'm going to be very honest about that. At the count, we all got there just after 10 o'clock at night on the Thursday. The results for this constituency didn't come in until about half six on Friday morning. So it was right down to the last minute.
"We put a lot of effort in and worked incredibly hard for the constituency, but the nerves are always there as one of the candidates. You get taken into a room and shown the provisional results - and it wasn't up until that moment that I was obviously sure that I was successful."
So was he shocked?
"Yeah - let's be honest it was a disastrous night for the Conservative Party. We lost a lot of good colleagues that had worked incredibly hard in the roles that they had either in government or for their own constituencies.
"This constituency is incredibly marginal - it's a classic bellwether seat which always goes with the government of the day. I think it's only ever not gone with the government of the day twice in its history but has always gone with the change. And of course this was the first time I think that in history that it's ever (not) done that.
"That's down to hard work and a huge amount of hard graft - and making sure that you're focusing on what matters at a local level. That was one of the reasons I got involved in politics in the first place, because of frustration. I felt that there were too many people in higher places that weren't necessarily listening to what people were saying. And I thought that if I'm lucky enough to get re-elected that's what I'll continue to do. And that's what I have done over the last four and a half years. If you can tie hard work with what people want you to work on, then hopefully that's the magic formula. "
Since 2019 Robbie Moore has been part of the party in government, so for the first time he will be in opposition in parliament, with a new Labour government sitting on the benches where he recently sat during the later stages of the Conservative government where he served as a Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Robbie tell us:
"It will of course take a bit of time getting used to being in opposition. What won't change is how hard you're working and the issues that you're raising on behalf of your constituents.
"But the nature of Westminster will be very different. Rishi Sunak has now said that he's going to step down as the leader, so we'll have to decide who is going to be the next leader of the Conservative Party, and all the roles will be decided to work out who's in the shadow cabinet and all of that.
"Sitting on the other side of the house, looking at the Prime Minister and his new cabinet will take some getting used to, but I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to getting on with the job, representing the constituency as I have done, and making sure that I'm continuing with delivering on the things that matter here locally."
And what are his priorities for the next five years as MP for Keighley and Ilkley?
"Oh, without doubt, making sure that Airedale Hospital is built on time. The Conservative government made sure that we'd ring-fenced funds for rebuilding the new hospital with a guarantee that it would be built and completed by 2030.
"So my role is absolutely first of all, to make sure that the new Labour government are not going to change that plan and also make sure that it is delivered in the timeframe that the Conservative government set. That's an absolute priority.
"Secondly, making sure that all of the projects across the constituency that had previously been allocated funding - we had over £80 million allocated for Keighley - come to fruition as quickly as possible. And the Conservative government set strong and stringent timeframes of many of those projects, so I will be making sure that our new Labour government's feet is held to the fire and that those projects are not delayed."
The full interview was broadcast on Nick Hancock in the Morning on Monday 8th July, you can listen to it on the Your Ilkley Podcast or watch the video below.
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