On This Day

December 29, 1995

Emma Nicholson MP announces that she is leaving the Tories and joining the Liberal Democrats

In an interview with the BBC the MP for Devon West and Torridge stated why she was joining the Liberal Democrats, ‘The Liberal Democrats conceptualize my own personal philosophy and feelings in a way the Conservative Party no longer does: concern for the poor, for people in trouble, both those at home and those seeking asylum; and, over and above all, a straightforward goal on Europe – namely, involvement as hard and as fast as we possibly can, for the sake of Britain and everybody else – and equally a vision of Britain’s future. All this is sorely missing from the Conservative Government..’ Nicholson stood down from parliament at the following election and her seat was retained by the Liberal Democrats. She served as a Liberal Democrat MEP for ten years (1999-2009) and now sits in the House of Lords. In 2016 she re-joined the Conservatives.