Pauline Jorgensen has been selected as the Conservative candidate for the new constituency of Earley and Woodley. The seat contains around 36 per cent of John Redwood’s seat of Wokingham, 33 per cent of the Labour-held Reading East, 12 per cent of Alok Sharma’s seat of Reading West, and 9 per cent of Theresa’s May’s constituency of Maidenhead. It has a nominal Tory majority of 8, 745.
Jorgensen is the leader of the Conservative opposition on Wokingham Council, stood in Methyr Tydfil and Rhymney in 2017, and has worked in IT and management within the aviation industry. She was up against Rob Wilson – MP for Reading East between 2005 and 2017 – David Edmonds, the chair of the Wokingham Association, and Stuart Carroll, a former Maidenhead councillor and advisor on health policy.
According to local Conservative sources, the vote was relatively close, with Jorgensen triumphing because there were more members “from the parts of the constituency in which she was strongest”. Although she came across as “intelligent” and “hard-working”, Wilson also answered well, demonstrating both his experience and his knowledge of local infrastructure requirements.
Recent reversals at local elections have left members feeling “a bit worried”, so we wish Jorgensen the best in keeping this seat blue. As ever, please contact me at william@conservativehome.com with any candidates news and information you may have.