Lucy Allan: Why isn't Telford's former MP standing - and why isn't she a Conservative anymore?
When Telford residents wake up today they will have a new MP for the first time in nearly a decade.
Shaun Davies reclaimed the seat for Labour, which was red from its creation in 1997 until Lucy Allan won it in 2015 for the Conservatives.
Mrs Allan, decided not to stand this summer for the seat - but the end of her nine-year stint as an MP was more eventful than most goodbyes in British politics, as she turned her back on the Tories and ended her time in Westminster as an independent after being suspended from the party.
So why did the woman who turned Telford blue then successfully defended it for the Tories twice decide to walk away from the town and the party, and what happened next?
Sensational wins
Former financial worker Ms Allan, 59, will always be able to say she was the first Conservative to represent the Telford constituency in Parliament.
It had been a Labour seat from its inception in 1997 right through to 2015, when she sensationally beat Labour's David Wright by just 730 votes. He had been the MP since 2001 and had won three elections for Labour.
Ms Allan just about held onto the seat in 2017, beating Labour's Kuldip Sahota by 720 votes - then got to enjoy a far more decisive victory in 2019, winning 10,941 votes more than Katrina Gilman.
But three and a half years after the night of her biggest triumph, she had made her mind up - her most successful election campaign yet would be her last.
Out of the blue
In a shock statement on her website in June of 2023, Ms Allan revealed that she would stand down at the next General Election.
She thanked Telford's residents for their "kindness and decency" to her and said representing the town had been "the best thing [she] had ever done".
The statement said: “It’s been an immense privilege to serve such an incredible town, particularly during a period when, against the odds, and despite many local and national challenges, Telford has flourished. I am honoured that so many of my constituents have trusted me to help them with some of the most sensitive and painful events in their lives.
“Over the last 10 years Telford has grown in optimism and confidence, realising its true potential as the West Midlands’ economic power house. It is a wonderful place to live and work. The air is clean, the light is beautiful, the housing is good value and our green spaces are second to none.
"We have created new skilled jobs and fantastic opportunities for the next generation. I am so proud of what we have achieved together, despite obstacles along the way, to secure Telford’s future, which was always my goal from day one.
