AFTER reducing Labour's hold over Furness to just 795 votes less than two years ago, it is no wonder the Conservatives see the constituency as a target seat in the 2017 General Election. AMY FENTON interviewed Tory candidate Simon Fell to find out why he thinks it's time for change in Barrow

THE people of Barrow and Furness need an MP who can get things done, according to the man picked to take on John Woodcock in next month's General Election.

Although the announcement for an election came as a shock to most people, including those close to Prime Minister Theresa May, Simon Fell has wasted little time in getting to grips with how he plans to boost Barrow and he is confident he will be more successful than his Labour counterpart has been.

"I've been speaking with David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale MP) and we both believe that Cumbria and Lancashire need to work much more closely together to develop a better industrial strategy," Mr Fell said.

"Barrow and Furness has world-leading skills and world-leading companies, but doesn't have the infrastructure it needs. No one has been sufficiently making the case to say 'look, this is what we need here'.

"The fact is, it's much easier to have those conversations if your party is in government."

Having spent time knocking on doors in Barrow and Furness, the Conservative candidate says there are three clear issues which come up time and again - Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn and young people.

Mr Corbyn's beliefs about nuclear weapons have effectively put him at odds with the vast majority of his own MPs, including Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock, whose job is to represent the 8,400 people who work in the shipyard.

This has left some local Labour supporters in a difficult position come polling day - do they go with the fiercely left-wing faction led by their party's leader, do they side with Mr Woodcock or do they take a totally different tack and shift allegiance.

Mr Fell believes many are opting for the latter choice.


"No politician will say they've had a tough day knocking on doors but we are seeing a lot of people saying they're going to switch from Labour to Conservative," he said.

"That's not just because of Jeremy Corbyn, and it's not just because John Woodcock has been critical of him; but people want change and they want someone who will get things done."

And despite the need for a majority in order for anti-nuclear Jeremy Corbyn to pass through Parliament anything as devastating to Barrow as scrapping the Trident weapons programme, Mr Fell believes the Labour leader would be "a disaster" for the area.

"Jeremy is a student politician who never grew up," Mr Fell said.

"He would be a disaster for Barrow; he spent his entire life fighting to scrap the industries that this town relies on."

SIMON FELL: A brief biography

Having been born in Preston, Simon Fell grew up in a village called Grindleton, just outside of Clitheroe in Lancashire. His dad, who was originally from just outside of Manchester, worked in engineering, a career which led to him working at BAE Systems in Samlesbury.

An only child, Simon developed a keen interest in politics during his teenage years, and ended up picking the subjects English, Economics and Politics for his A-Levels which he sat at Stonyhurst College.

He graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in English Literature and through his interest in economics went on to become the director of a not-for-profit organisation called CIFAS, the UK's independent fraud prevention service which aims to protect vulnerable people from falling victim to financial scams.

Simon, 36, is married to Pippa, who works for Lloyds, and they have an 18-month-old daughter called Peg.