Introducing… Richard Foord MP

Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Richard Foord says he will be getting straight down to business following his by-election success in Tiverton and Honiton last month. Three days after his election, within hours of being sworn in, Foord had already tabled a Commons motion to cut rural fuel duty.

Although describing himself as “buoyed” by securing a swing of almost 30 per cent to the Lib Dems, Foord says he is not going to “bask in the sunshine” of his victory. “I feel like I’m in a hurry… I’ve got far less time to prove myself before we go before the electorate at the next general election. And so I’m absolutely in a rush to get as much done as I can in the time that remains.” The married father of three is a former civil servant in the Planning Inspectorate, a graduate of Sandhurst and former major in the British army. With a degree in history from Royal Holloway and an MSc in global security from Cranfield, Foord names international relations and security as “the things that fascinate me most”. Noting there are many MPs from other parties “I very much respect, admire and look up to”, and as the sole Lib Dem MP in Devon, Foord says he is ready to work across the House to secure his goals.

“I feel like I’m in a hurry… I’ve got far less time to prove myself”

The recipient of three campaign medals for service in Iraq and the Balkans, Foord says he will be drawing from the skills gained during his military service. Military officers, he says, have to advocate for those under their command. “That’s something that I think is a real parallel with being an MP where you have to speak up for others who may not know the system as well – or may lack a voice.”