By LEIGH BOOBYER

Local Democracy Reporter

Stroud Conservative candidate Siobhan Baillie has ousted Labour's David Drew in the General Election, but who is she?

It is the first time Mrs Baillie, a former solicitor and charity sector worker specialising in reducing parental conflict, has contested the seat.

She beat Mr Drew, who was Stroud's MP from 2017-2019, by a majority of 3,840 in last night's General Election.

Mrs Baillie is Stroud's first female MP since the creation of the seat, in different forms, in 1832.

Having left home at 15 and worked her way up in the legal profession from 17 without ever attending university, Mrs Baillie says she wants to work to put more money in further education.

She is the first Tory candidate to stand in Stroud, known as both a marginal and a swing seat, since Neil Carmichael who held onto the constituency for seven years from 2010. Mr Carmichael, who lost the 2017 election as a Tory candidate, has since turned his back on the party and even urged people not to vote for them in this election.

Asked what she will do for Stroud, Mrs Baillie said: "I have six priorities: education, supporting local businesses, improving transport, environmental protection, caring for the most vulnerable and safe & vibrant communities. I have already driven forward a nationally recognised further education campaign, fought for high streets funding and I will ensure our railway stations are fully accessible to all."