Conservatives select candidate to represent Aylesbury at next general election
The Conservatives have selected a businesswoman to try to reclaim Aylesbury, after Labour overturned a decades-long Tory hold at the last general election.
Jane MacBean was chosen on Saturday, November 7, to fight for the Conservatives at the next election. She said she wanted to be “a strong advocate” for Aylesbury and its surrounding villages.
The result in 2024 was extremely close. Labour’s Laura Kyrke-Smith won 15,081 votes, beating Conservative Rob Butler by 630.
Mr Butler had represented the previous Aylesbury constituency.
In 2019, he won with a majority of 17,373. Constituency boundaries changed before the 2024 election, so the two results are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
A YouGov constituency projection published in September suggested the Conservatives could take Aylesbury back at the next election.
It put the Tories on 24 per cent, with Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK each on 20 per cent, and classed the seat as a Conservative “toss-up”.
The projection was based on a national survey of nearly 17,000 people, rather than a poll of Aylesbury voters, so it suggests a competitive race rather than a guaranteed Tory win.
Ms MacBean has lived in Buckinghamshire for almost 30 years and served as an elected councillor for a decade. She is married to David, has two grown-up daughters and owns a border terrier called Charlie.
Before entering politics, she worked in marketing and communications across music, film and television. She now runs a financial services firm supporting businesses in a range of sectors.
Following her selection, she said: “Aylesbury and its villages are being ignored by the Labour government, and I will fight to ensure the constituency is no longer ignored by Westminster and its representatives.
“I entered politics to be a strong advocate for our communities, and I remain committed to putting the people and places of this constituency right at the heart of British politics.”
Association Chairman, Richard Newcombe, said: “Jane MacBean is an excellent local candidate to be the next MP for the Aylesbury constituency.
“We will work tirelessly alongside Jane to meet even more residents and share her plan for our local area.”
Labour’s Laura Kyrke-Smith has been contacted for comment.