Yesterday’s announcement of the creation of the Cambridge Electoral Residents’ Association got off to a great start as its founder /u/JJRoamer realised that he does not know how the word “care” is spelt. The announcement of the creation of CERA made some interesting claims which I felt I should respond to, which is why I am writing this article.

One of these is the laughable claim that I care more about the Scottish Tories than Cambridge, which is certainly a very interesting claim given that I voted for my party to enter the Rainbow Coalition and end around 2 years of Tory rule in Scotland and that I am serving as a junior housing minister in this Rainbow Coalition.

I have fond memories of growing up in Cambridge. I can still vividly remember attending school in this beautiful city, going on many trips to the various National Trust sites in the area, and making many good friends; and I am proud to call Cambridge my home.

This is why I care deeply about Cambridge. I care that we have a transportation system which offers affordable, eco-friendly and punctual transport to everyone in Cambridgeshire. This is why at the last Prime Ministers’ Questions I asked a question about the A14. It is also why I have asked questions about East-West Rail. If built, it will dramatically improve transport connections for towns and villages along the A428, with St Neots, Cambourne and potentially also Northstowe getting a rail link towards Cambridge and other parts of East Anglia; and towards Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford. I am happy to say that the Rose Coalition Government is supporting its construction.

As someone who received an education in Cambridge, I also care deeply about our large student population. This is exactly why I have campaigned for reforms to education to improve education for students, including scrapping tuition fees; the creation of a National Education Service to offer cradle-to-grave universal education the same way the NHS offers universal healthcare from the cradle to the grave; the introduction of life skills classes to ensure that our students learn about finances, citizenship, LGBTQ inclusive sex and relationship education; and more.

Cambridge has some amazing local businesses, which is why I have also regularly championed Cambridgeshire’s small businesses and our agricultural economy. I have called for an Agricultural Revolution which would support our farmers in utilising the latest innovations in farming, including the use of GM crops and hydroponics, and would help our farms increase their crop yields. I have also regularly stood up for Cambridge’s local businesses, such as on the government’s Employee Support (Substantive Meals) Bill which I feared would have negatively affected our small businesses.

JJRoamer used to be in SATUP but then joined the PWP when SATUP and the PPUK merged to form the PWP. He then later defected to form the SDP, then rejoined the PWP, then rejoined the SDP. Yesterday, he joined Solidarity before also leaving them to set up CERA. Given that he defects party at a greater frequency than at which France has revolutions, can he really be trusted to deliver for Cambridge?
As he made clear in his announcement of CERA, he founded CERA due to spite and to further his personal goal of the reformation of SATUP, not out of actual concern for Cambridge. I believe that he chose to found a movement to represent Cambridge as Cambridgeshire is the only constituency which the PWP won in February. If we had instead won Norfolk & Suffolk, for example, I have no doubt that we would instead be seeing a movement from JJ about Ipswich or Norwich or, God forbid, Great Yarmouth. His spite-driven politics is the last thing our wonderful city needs and I fear will lead to our city being taken for granted and its concerns ignored.

• LightningMinion is the MP for Cambridgeshire