As he bids to retain the North West Norfolk seat, James Wild insists there is “only one party that’s serious” about the issues facing the UK.
Mr Wild, the constituency’s Conservative candidate for next month’s general election, has served as MP for the area since 2019.
He has spoken to the Lynn News proudly of his time so far, highlighting the fact that a hospital rebuild in Lynn was confirmed while he and fellow Tory Liz Truss were representing the area.
He puts forward a strong belief that the Conservatives are the right party to lead the country forward at both a national and local level - following on from Ms Truss stating that a Labour government would be a “disaster”.
He is not resting on his laurels, however, and has been campaigning hard since the election was called by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak by speaking to residents around the area.
“I've been out meeting them, talking to people and getting a good reception on the doorstep,” he says.
“Hopefully people recognise that over the last four-and-a-half years I've worked hard to bring investment to the area and secure commitment to a new QEH. I want to be re-elected so I can continue to bring more investment, more opportunities to improve our area.”
Mr Wild first ran in a general election in 2017 in North Norfolk, but was unsuccessful.
He grew up in that area, and his political career began in the late 1990s.
He became an adviser to the Defence Secretary in 2014, staying in the role until 2017 before being made chief of staff to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and a minister for the Cabinet Office in 2018 - and the following year, he became a senior special adviser to the Prime Minister.
Since becoming the North West Norfolk MP, some of his key campaigns have involved calling for a tougher sentence for a drug-driver who killed a family of three at the start of 2023 - as well as proposals to stop offenders hiding in their cells when they are sentenced.
However, his campaigning for Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital remains the accomplishment he points to the most.
“I grew up in North Norfolk and I wanted to stand and make a difference for the area, which is why I've made the QEH my number one priority,” he says.
“There's a major £70million of investments to come into Lynn and I want to make sure that those projects are delivered - the new library and skills centre and community hub in the Argos building that you can see being built at the moment.
“There's huge potential at the St George’s Guildhall site to boost their cultural heritage. The economic impact of that… I think the Shakespeare connections there are significant.
“I want to continue to boost the economy here. Although jobs and unemployment are better than the national average, I've set up a thing called Norfolk for Jobs, which is particularly targeted at helping younger people who are not in work to get the support and help and experience to then take up some of the vacancies.”
Mr Wild has also outlined ambitions to protect the environment in West Norfolk.
He says that during his time as MP, plenty of action has been taken to improve water quality in the area - as well as to make water companies invest more and be more accountable.
Meanwhile, he cites improvements to bus services and rail upgrades - and he has committed to bringing more police officers to North West Norfolk in a bid to cut down on rural crime.
Despite Reform catching and overtaking the Conservatives in nationwide polls in recent days, Mr Wild insists that for most people, it remains a choice between the Tories and Labour on July 4.
He says that “a vote for Reform or any other party other than Conservative is a vote to put Labour into power”.
“When I talk to people on the doorstep, there's no love for Keir Starmer,” he adds.
“They don't know what Labour would do in power, and they seem to want to just get into power and then decide what they're going to do.
“A lot of people said Keir Starmer was a bit like a rabbit in the headlights in the debate, so I'm picking up strong, strong support across North West Norfolk, pointing to the record of what I've done as a strong champion for the area over the last four and half years.
“I want to continue to do that in the next parliament, so I'm not taking any vote for granted. That's why I'm out knocking on doors, and if people want to make sure they have a Conservative MP and a strong voice here, then they need to come out and vote on July 4 for the Conservatives.”
Mr Wild admits that the election will come off the back of “difficult economic times”, which he puts down to the Covid pandemic and high inflation driven by the war in Ukraine.
However, he believes the country is starting to pull through this, and cites growing wages and lower inflation levels.
His question to voters is: “Do you want to put all of that at risk?
“Someone said on a doorstep that change is alright, but change to what?
“I think people don't know what Labour want to do. They can't answer any of the questions that people have.
“We've come through a difficult period. We are now moving forward and we know where we want to go.
“I think people will see that and see the difference between the Labour Party that's not setting out clearly what it would do.”
Mr Wild adds: “I understand the frustrations that people have that we haven't achieved everything that we wanted to on the issues that a number of people have spoken to me about on the doorstep - including around immigration.
“But we have broader measures now to reduce legal immigration. We're the only party that's trying to stop the illegal arrivals, incredibly dangerous journeys. There's only one party that's serious about those issues.
“It's the Conservatives who have got the answers to those issues and recognise the frustrations that people feel on them and want to do something about it.”