Zoe Franklin, MP for Guildford

Zoe Franklin, our new MP for Guildford, made her maiden speech in a debate on building safety on 11 September.

The text is below:

I would like to start by congratulating the Members for Bromley and Biggin Hill (Peter Fortune) and for Calder Valley (Josh Fenton-Glynn) on their excellent maiden speeches, which gave a real insight into their constituencies and their electorate.

Today’s debate again highlights the wider issues of building safety and poverty. The safety of the buildings in which people and their families live should not depend on their economic status and we must work together across Parliament to level the playing field and provide safety for everyone in this country. There is obviously a lot of work to be done to achieve this and I am grateful to the Minister for indicating that we will have an opportunity to discuss this issue further at a later date.

I am very proud to say that in July I was elected at the third attempt to represent the people of Guildford, the place that has been my home for 25 years. In my speech at the vote count after my election, I promised my people that I would be a representative for everyone in my constituency, including those whose voices have gone unheard for too long. I reaffirm that promise today.

I first stood for elected office in 2008, driven by love for my community and a deep frustration at the failure of my area of ​​Bellfields and Slyfield by the Conservatives. I dedicated myself to helping those at risk of losing their homes, working on community projects and being the voice of my community fighting for change in the council chamber. Some 16 years later, I am here in this chamber because I am frustrated after 14 years of Conservative failures that have once again left communities across Guildford and the country struggling.

I am also here because the people of Guildford felt the same way. They said ‘enough’ and felt that I could be their voice for change in this great chamber. I am honoured by the trust they have placed in me. We are here as MPs to serve our people, our constituencies and our country. I hope that will always be at the forefront of our work as MPs, particularly when we speak and vote in this chamber.

Speaking of service, I would like to take a moment to thank my predecessors Angela Richardson, Anne Milton and Sir Paul Beresford, whose former constituency is now part of the Guildford constituency. Angela and Anne have served Guildford, its residents and businesses with determination for 14 years. I thank them on behalf of our constituents.

Now to my wonderful constituency. Guildford is an ancient town. The first human activity in the area was in the Mesolithic period and it is mentioned in the will of Alfred the Great in 880AD. The name Guildford means ‘golden ford’, which comes from the golden banks at the river crossing below St Catherine’s Chapel, but that was not the only golden watermark at this election. In June we saw a golden tide of Liberal Democrat MPs, 72 elected across the country, including six of us in Surrey. This victory is a message of change for our country and I very much look forward to working with my Liberal Democrat colleagues, particularly on the issues of special educational needs and disabilities and Thames Water.

As an MP, I am particularly committed to tackling the cost of living crisis that continues to push too many people into poverty, trapped in a crisis of no self-inflicted nature. We must lift people out of destitution and ensure that everyone has access to the services they need without having to spend too much money to get them. I am sure colleagues across the House will agree that the fact that in 2023-24 over 3 million people across the UK will be relying on the Trussell Trust food banks alone is a disgrace. It is a blot on our country and it must be put to an end.

As well as being a historic town, Guildford is a modern centre of innovation, often described as the Hollywood of the computer games industry and home to many high-tech companies at the forefront of environmental technology, defence, aerospace and more. Our town is a technology hub that builds on our constituency’s heritage: Ada Lovelace, the mother of computing, lived for many years in Horsley Towers in my constituency and Alan Turing, whose genius continues to be honoured by the Alan Turing Institute at my alma mater, the University of Surrey, had his boyhood home in Guildford.

My constituency is also blessed with stunning natural beauty, from the impressive RHS Wisley to the Surrey Hills and our many National Trust properties, including the River Wey boating site, which is also managed by the National Trust. As an MP, I am determined to balance the continued development and success of my town and surrounding villages with protecting the natural beauty of my constituency for generations to come.

That is why I will campaign in Parliament to clean up our rivers. The River Wey, which flows through the heart of Guildford town and through the villages to the east of my constituency, has been the lifeblood of Guildford for centuries. It is central to Guildford’s identity, its history, residents’ leisure activities and its future. The pollution levels recorded in our river month after month are sickening and impact on the health of nature, animals and residents. It is time to clean up our rivers and put an end to the stories I hear too often on my doorstep of residents getting ill after bathing in the water. For example, earlier this year I met the coach of a children’s cricket team who told me how his young team took a celebratory end of season swim in the River Wey in 2023. Every single one of those children got ill after bathing in the river.

I would like to conclude with two final thoughts. The first comes from my time as a music student at the University of Surrey, where I learned the importance of harmony, both in art and in life. I sincerely hope that in the years to come, together in this hall, we can create a symphony of voices, change the divisive rhetoric of recent years, and restore public trust in politics and politicians. If we fail to do so, I worry about the future we leave for future generations.

Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my friends and family, especially my husband Chris and my sons Reuben and Josh, who have supported me every step of the way to this point and continue to walk it with me. Without their love, encouragement and occasional campaigning skills, I would not be here today.