Ruth Gripper
The best choice to be our next MP
A strong local voice for Truro and Falmouth
Fixing our NHS and protecting our environment
A positive plan to get a fair deal for Cornwall
We need more MPs like Ruth - people who just want to do the best for our community
Ruth will put Truro and Falmouth first
Ruth lives in Falmouth and grew up in the constituency. She is passionate about Cornwall, its culture and heritage. Ruth works for the university on Penryn Campus, as part of a project to renew biodiversity and protect our natural environment. She is also a volunteer trustee at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro.
Ruth has the experience to be a strong voice in Westminster
Having worked for mental health campaigner and Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb, Ruth understands how Westminster works and how to get things done. Her experience working in the charity sector gave her insight into the challenges people face and the way that so many people can be let down by ‘the system’. Now she is standing as an MP herself to try to improve things.
Why am I standing?
I’m standing for election because I believe that politics can make a difference, and that it can be better. I want to give people here in Truro and Falmouth the representation and strong voice in Westminster that we have been missing over recent years.
What influence can a Liberal Democrat MP have?
Lots! We have had some very effective Liberal Democrat and Liberal MPs in the past. They focused on speaking up for the constituency, and that’s exactly what I would do as your MP. MPs from the government party often end up focused simply on defending the government. As a Liberal Democrat MP I will be focused on getting the best deal for people in Truro and Falmouth. And working with Liberal Democrat colleagues in Parliament, we will hold the government - whoever is in power - to account.
What experience do I have?
I’m not a career politician - my day job is working for the University of Exeter at Penryn campus in the constituency. Much of that role is about making sure that policy is informed by evidence. Prior to that I worked for many years in the charity sector. That was a big part of what got me into politics - the feeling that charities were picking up the pieces where policy and politics had let people down. And I have worked in Westminster - as a researcher for mental health campaigner and former MP Norman Lamb, and in public affairs for a national health charity - so I understand how Westminster works and how to get things done.
What are my top priorities?
My priorities are getting the NHS and our care services back on their feet, tackling the housing crisis and protecting our environment, including tough action on sewage pollution. My top priority, though, is being a good constituency MP and giving people in Truro and Falmouth the representation they deserve.
Below are some of the questions constituents often ask me.
What will you do about…
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This issue is really important to me and there is lots that needs doing. The Liberal Democrats will improve GP access by improving recruitment and retention of GPs, and set up a Small Surgeries Fund to sustain services in rural and remote areas. Many of the ambulance delays we see at Treliske are caused by problems in social care. The Liberal Democrats know that you can’t fix the NHS without also fixing care, so we would increase pay, status and career progression for carers to help fill the thousands of vacancies. We will fix the broken NHS dental contract to bring dentists back to the NHS from the private sector.
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This issue often comes up when I’m talking to people on the doorstep. Young people in particular wonder how they will ever be able to afford a home of their own. The Liberal Democrats would increase the availability of social housing by building 150,000 new social homes a year and giving councils the power to end Right to Buy in their area. We would close tax loopholes for second homes and give councils more power to control second homes and short-term lets in their area, through the planning system and by increasing council tax. We would give renters a fair deal by ending no-fault evictions and making longer tenancies the norm.
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The Conservative government has failed to act with anything like the urgency we need on this issue, so we are playing catch-up. The Liberal Democrats are committed to net zero by 2045. We would invest in home insulation (we have some of the leakiest homes in Europe), expand incentives for households to install solar and ensure all new build properties have solar panels. The Liberal Democrats would protect at least 30% of land and sea areas by 2030 for nature recovery, bringing in a new Land Use Framework to balance the use of land for nature, food production and housing.
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The Liberal Democrats have led on the issue of sewage pollution over the past year or two in parliament. We would end the sewage scandal by transforming water companies into public benefit companies, banning bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks end, and replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage dumps. We would also work with farmers to reduce agricultural run-off, and implement planning regulations so that new developments are required to have sustainable drainage systems.
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The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to investing an extra £1bn a year into the farming budget, to support food production and help farmers transition to nature-friendly farming. We would make sure that international trade deals set the same high environmental and animal welfare standards that we have in this country, so consumers know what they are getting and our domestic farmers are competing on a level playing-field. And we would strengthen the Groceries Code Adjudicator to tackle the powers of the big supermarkets.
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Too many people are really struggling to get by. We will tackle child poverty by removing the unfair two-child limit, and set a target of ending deep poverty within a decade. We will make sure that Universal Credit covers life’s essentials by setting up an independent commission to recommend annual increases. We will support pensioners by protecting the triple lock, which was brought in by the Liberal Democrats in the coalition government. And we are the only one of the three main parties committed to making sure that women born in the 1950s are finally fairly treated and properly compensated.
More detail on this and other areas can be found in our manifesto
I'll vote for Ruth Gripper
Back Liberal Democrat Ruth Gripper's campaign to become Truro and Falmouth's next MP and get a fairer deal for Truro and Falmouth