As the newly elected parliament is opened, over the coming days we will be profiling some of the new LGBTQ+ MPs who have been elected to the House of Commons.
Their inclusion on our site does not indicate that they campaigned on LGBTQ+ issues, although we will report as such if they have, but that they are openly ‘out’ and as such have the opportunity to represent our broadening communities in parliament.
Christopher Clarkson pulled off one of the most unexpected Conservative party successes of the recent general election. Managing to edge into the Heywood and Middleton Constituency in the North West of England with less than 700 votes, overturning a Labour majority of almost 8,000. He is a member of the Countryside Alliance, and a supporter of Brexit. Prior to being elected to Parliament he was a Salford City Councillor between 2011 and 2019. He had also contested the Heywood and Middleton seat in the 2017 general election but was unsuccessful.
Mr Clarkson acknowledged that a range of national and local issues had contributed to his victory. Although not openly campaigning on LGBT issues Mr Clarkson says he believes people will see a ‘positive change’ having voted in a Conservative MP for the first time.
He added: “I campaigned on a platform of six things for the area and really want to get those delivered. I want to get Brexit done so we can start focusing on things like jobs, housing and green belt. Things that have not happened over the last three years because we’ve been talking about a constitutional issue.”
Clarkson stated that in Heywood and Middleton, all candidates had fought on the basis of ‘issues rather than personalities’. However the decision of former Labour council leader Colin Lambert to run for The Brexit Party did split the Labour vote resulting in a narrow win for this newly elected gay Conservative MP.
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