New MP for Spelthorne "not particularly ideologically driven" and hopes the area is a "more cohesive community" in 5 years time
We have been speaking to the newly elected Conservative MP for Spelthorne, Lincoln Jopp
Last updated 8th Aug 2024
The new Conservative MP for Spelthorne says he is "not particularly ideologically driven" and is undecided on who he is backing to become the next leader of the party.
Lincoln Jopp won the Surrey seat in a competitive local election, beating his nearest rival: Labour's Claire Tighe, by just under 1600 votes. He has taken over from former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng, who had held the seat since 2010 and decided to not run for re-election.
Having now been in office for just over a month, Lincoln Jopp sat down with Greatest Hits Radio Surrey and East Hampshire for an interview. Mr Jopp explained that it had been a busy few weeks. He had promised residents that he would move to the constituency if elected, and explained that the move was confirmed to him over the phone by his wife whilst he was having lunch with another MP.
"Thanks to my incredible wife, we're now living in our new home, we've moved lock, stock and barrel.
"It does help that in the army we moved 11 times in 19 years so my wife is unbelievably good at it."
Mr Jopp also described the induction to the role as "a big sausage machine" and admitted that he still does not have an office.
Who is Lincoln Jopp? A decorated army veteran who is "not particularly ideologically driven"
Before entering politics, Lincoln Jopp served as an officer in the army, and won the Military Cross for bravery in 1997 for his work in Sierra Leone.
"I'm very pragmatic in my approach, and take a fairly common sense approach to most things, I like to think.
He also served in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and commanded the 1st Battalion Scots Guards in Afghanistan.
After leaving the military, Mr Jopp worked in venture capital and private equity before entering Westminster.
Mr Jopp explained how his time in the forces influences his political thinking.
"It very much does in one respect. That is in terms of Seeing how much potential young people have got. We used to have people joining the Scots Guards, some of whom came from some of the toughest parts of this country with some very difficult backgrounds and some of them used to come in with very few or no education or qualifications. People from that same cohort leave the army with master's degrees.
"It just showed to me that if you give people opportunity, encouragement, purpose, further education, that they can achieve things way beyond what you or I or they could ever think possible. That's very much coloured my politics."
However, despite being one of the 121 Conservative MPs in the House Of Commons, Mr Jopp said that he is not driven by a particular ideology within Conservatism.
"In terms of trying to pigeon hole me in terms of where I am on the Conservative spectrum. I'm afraid I don't play that game."
"I would say I'm not particularly ideologically driven. I'm very pragmatic in my approach, and take a fairly common sense approach to most things, I like to think.
"In certain places our towns are in danger of becoming dormitory towns"
"The reason why I decided to get into politics is that I am a Conservative and I did think there had been some goings on that didn't particularly appeal to me. I felt similar to why I joined the army. These are very difficult jobs and they need to be done by serious people who are good."
Lincoln Jopp's Spelthorne: Housing, Cohesive Community and a "hair-brained idea"
When asked about what the biggest issues for residents in Spelthorne are, Mr Jopp highlighted policing and transport infrastructure , particularly pointing towards how people in Spelthorne can use an Oyster Card on London buses in Spelthorne, but not on trains.
A local campaign called "Spelthorne in the Zone - Oyster for Spelthorne" is calling for Ashford, Sunbury, Staines and Shepperton into Transport For London's Zone 6.
Mr Jopp said that he has met South Western Railway about the issue. SWR have been contacted for a comment.
He added that all of the area's high streets are "looking pretty tired".
"In certain places our towns are in danger of becoming dormitory towns, where people sleep, maybe get a Deliveroo every now and again, and don't really generate the community which the area is renowned for and rightly proud of."
The new MP was also asked about what he would like his new constituency to look like in 5 years time.
"I hope it's a more cohesive community and I hope there is more housing, but housing in the right place with the right infrastructure because none of our children can afford places to live. We have got to build but in the right places and sensitive to local concerns.
Mr Jopp added that he had a "hairbrained idea" involving utilising the constituency's large amount of water for solar power.
"I've got this probably hairbrained idea but I hope that it's got legs. A vast amount of the constituency is water... we're required to build houses, you can't build houses on water. There must be good solar technology which doesn't diminish the quality of the water which means that we could put solar power on three out of the four reservoirs and generate a huge amount of power."
Undecided on next Tory leader but looking for "leadership" from the candidates
Mr Jopp exercised caution when asked about who he would back to become the next Conservative leader, saying that he had "not decided", but said that he was looking for leadership in the six candidates vying for the role.
Tom Tugendhat, Priti Patel, James Cleverley, Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch and Mel Stride are all competing to succeed Rishi Sunak as the party's next leader.
Four of the six candidates will be shortlisted by MPs in September, before MPs again reduce the number to two candidates. The decision on who becomes leader is then put to the party membership, and the new leader is set to be elected in early November.
"Quite a lot of the candidates have been taken back when they've asked 'what are you looking for in the leader Lincoln?'" Mr Jopp said. "and I say 'Funnily enough, I'm looking for leadership skills and what are yours? When have you been in a good teams? Why do you think you were a good leader then? When have you been in bad teams? What have you learned from that process?'"
"I think quite a lot of people don't think about leadership as much as soldiers, sailors and marines do. It's kind of in our DNA, it's what keeps us alive. If the officer class aren't good at it, they tend to die fairly early on in battle, so we obsess about leadership and good and bad leadership.
"That's the lens through which I'm primarily looking at all six candidates."