FORMER Liberal Democrat MEP Caroline Voaden who will be fighting for a seat at Westminster in the next General Election, says local people have been “let down” and “lied to” by successive Conservative governments.

The former Lib Dem leader in the European Parliament has been selected by party members to stand as MP in the Totnes constituency.

Caroline said: “I’m campaigning to win this seat at the next election and I aim to speak for everyone who is tired of the damage being done to our communities, our businesses and our environment by this Conservative government.

“We have seen in recent by-elections that people are fed up with being taken for granted, and they have put their trust in Liberal Democrats to listen to them and represent their interests.

“I am honoured and excited to have been selected to fight for the constituents of Totnes. Our farmers, who are the backbone of the rural economy, have been let down by successive Conservative governments, and our fishing community has been lied to. Shopkeepers and small businesses desperately need support.

“That’s why I will be championing investment that’s equitable, sustainable and goes where it is most needed.

“Thousands of people can’t find a decent, affordable home here, yet the government chooses to make it easier to buy a second home than rent a first one.

“It’s impossible to get a dentist appointment and local medical facilities are stretched to breaking point, yet the government chooses to reward bankers and the top one per cent of earners with tax breaks rather than prioritise the key workers we so vitally need.

“On top of all that, we watch aghast as Liz Truss’s government increases threats to biodiversity and environmental protections while people are literally getting sick from swimming in our beautiful river Dart because of sewage dumping.

“This vandalism of our natural world has to stop.

“I hear that people have had enough. They’re tired and angry. It’s time this country had a change of government and I will lead a campaign to make sure that change happens right here in Totnes constituency.”

Caroline was elected as MEP for SW England and Gibraltar in May 2019 and served in the European Parliament until 31 January 2020.

She was elected leader of the Lib Dem group of 16 MEPs during that term of office and led the Liberal Democrats out of Europe.

She has lived in the constituency for 12 years and is the chief executive of Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services - the main provider of support to survivors of sexual violence and abuse in Devon and Torbay.

Caroline was enthusiastically selected by local party members to fight one of the party’s most winnable seats in Devon and Cornwall – of all the party’s Conservative facing seats in the region Totnes has the smallest majority after St Ives, says a Lib Dem spokesperson.

It was briefly held by the party in 2019 when Sarah Wollaston MP left the Conservative party to join the Lib Dems.

The date of the next general election has not been announced but the prime minister, Liz Truss, has signalled that she intents to call one in two years time.

The last possible date for the next election required by law is 23 January 2025.