After the result was declared in the early hours of Friday morning me and my husband Dave, after about 30 minutes sleep, headed straight down to London because my oldest son had asked me to be the celebrant at his wedding ceremony.
So I've had little time to absorb the result, or pen eloquent statements. What follows is from the heart, and coloured by exhaustion, burnout, sadness and disappointment. Over the last few hours, it been totally overwhelming to read the avalanche of messages pouring out from across the constituency and elsewhere, from people who want to wish me well, and I am grateful for each and every person who has taken the time to contact me, I promise I will respond in time!
First, I humbly thank everyone who voted for me, only 789 fewer than voted for Chris. That was a significant number, against the backdrop of the dreadful results across the country for our party.
Even after four general elections (two won, two lost!) I've never lost the thrill I experienced the very first time a complete stranger said to me "I voted for you"
I am grateful you put your trust in me, and I know from thousands of conversations that some of you did so grudgingly because of how our party had let you down over the last few years for a long list of reasons. I know some of you did that because of me personally, and my record of dedication to Redditch. I also know that many of you did so because we had been able to help you with your problems and issues.
The most humbling thing about the campaign was that everywhere I went, people came to me and told me how I had helped them and in those conversations, I knew that what I had done had made a difference to a community. The sense of purpose that drove me to enter politics was repaid in spades by people in the constituency it has been my privilege to serve.
All MPs have teams behind them, who carry out a lot of this work behind the scenes. My team are compassionate, dedicated and empathetic, and have diligently worked through many knotty and difficult cases, battling with unresponsive agencies and government departments, and in doing so made an enormous difference to people's lives.
I would like to pay tribute to all my team, who I won't name as they are private people - but all of them deserve the thanks of the public just as much as I do as the public representative.
I would like to let anyone who we were partway through helping before I lost the election know that we will do everything we can to ensure a smooth transition to Chris's team so he can pick up where I left off - as I will no longer be able to help you in the same way, and you deserve to continue to have a good service from your MP.
And then the campaign team who worked so hard for me- the night the election was called we sat in my dining room and started the plan, and that plan was delivered down to the very last leaflet and digital post. Most people don't understand that we don't have full time professional staff to run a campaign for us, or a huge budget. Every person who volunteered to be on my team has a full time job, outside of politics, and everyone gave up their family and leisure time to help me because they believed in our cause. This isn't something you see every day, and their sheer enthusiasm, determination and grit to keep going, day in, day out, through thick and thin, through difficult days and appalling weather is nothing short of heroic.
I wish Chris the very best in his new role. As I said at the declaration, being an MP is not a job it is a vocation. It has been stressful, enjoyable, frustrating, infuriating, joyful, humbling and satisfying in equal measures. It is the best job in the world as well as at times the worst.
I am proud of the campaign we ran, it was a positive one, we focussed on the strong enduring Conservative message, and I must also thank all my opponents in this election here in Redditch who campaigned in the same way. It was a very cordial and fair election, focussed on the people of Redditch and the villages, on the issues that matter to them, not personalities, and I believe our local democracy is better and stronger for that approach.
I am grateful to every voter who cast their votes for me at three general elections and to everyone in the Redditch constituency who has given me the opportunity to serve you.
I have always tried to do my best and I know I gave this job, and this campaign everything. I did put my heart and soul into everything I did, and losing leaves a big loss and a big hole, but I know that God has a plan for me and I will be forever grateful for this time that I did have. Nothing in life is forever.
In my time as your MP I know we were able, with your support, to make a real difference to our town, securing funding for the Alex, guaranteeing its future after it looked like all the services would be moved to Worcester, attracting millions of pounds of investment into the operating theatres, additional services and testing capacity.
On top of that, I attracted multi million pound sums to be spent on the Town Deal which I hope the incoming Labour government and newly elected Labour council will honour and will ensure is spent wisely for the benefit of the people of Redditch.
Rebuilding program for Arrow Vale School
New youth centre in Woodrow funded by £1.4m from central government
Investment into roads, buses, local rail
- and much much more besides, which I know will all be already delivering real results in people's daily lives across our whole constituency and will continue after I'm gone.
As well as being your MP I was privileged to serve in four different government departments, dealing with legislation and policy that affected the whole United Kingdom, throughout many challenging times, Brexit, Covid, and the Ukraine war. There is a lot I am proud of, too much to go through in one night, or one Facebook post - but I would particularly highlight what I was able to do on knife crime, domestic abuse, safety of women and girls, and victims of rape and child sexual abuse while serving in the Home Office and Ministry of Justice UK.
In addition, I played my part while a Department for Transport minister in the transition to renewable technologies which the UK is a world leader in, driving jobs, growth and investment in the West Midlands and across the whole country.
Finally as Housing Minister I oversaw significant reforms to planning, brownfield regeneration and leasehold, all of which were painstakingly worked up over a period of many years and will flow into benefits for housing being built across our country for decades to come.
I never forgot that my role as a Minister was directly impacting people across the whole country and I used my experience representing you in my surgeries and casework to ensure that civil servants always understood the real world practical impacts of the policies they were developing.
Finally I have to thank my wonderful family, my husband and four children who have had to share their wife and Mum and Nana with several thousand constituents. Plus my extended family clan of Macleans, Tomlinsons, Annisons, all of whom have added to their step count and leafletting techniques over the last few weeks. You have been my absolute bedrock, and inspiration for everything I do, and I am forever in your debt.
I have just received a lovely message wishing me well from a very unexpected quarter, and I'm sure she won't mind me sharing it. So I will sign off - for now - with it.
From Jacqui Smith - former MP for Redditch
"Dear Rachel
As I have some idea how you’re feeling today I wanted to send my best wishes.
When I lost in 2010, I said that democracy needs people to step forward when they fear they’re going to lose as well as when they hope they’re going to win. Equally losing an election doesn’t negate the public service that you have offered to the people of the Redditch constituency.
Rt Hon Jacqui Smith"
Thanks for everything, Redditch and the Villages!
Rachel
