He’s one of the surviving ‘big beasts’ of the Conservative Party.

And like so many of them, Sir David Davis faces the threat of extinction.

The York-born 75-year-old, however, remains hopeful of retaining the new seat of Goole and Pocklington, even if Electoral Calculus now predicts a narrow Labour win.

Born to a single-mum, David grew up in Walmgate, living in ‘a prefab’ by the city walls.

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“I used to chase the cows when I was 4, when the cattle market was at the Barbican,” he told the Press.

Later, David moved to London, and after a spell as a clerk, he joined the territorial army, before going to university, which led to a successful career with sugar giant Tate & Lyle.

David was first elected to Boothferry in 1987, then Howden and Haltemprice and more recently selected as Conservative PPC for the new seat of Goole and Pocklington.

York Press:

In his 37 years in Westminster, the veteran MP had top roles including shadow home secretary, he stood for the party leadership in 2005, losing to David Cameron, and later becoming Brexit Secretary under Theresa May, negotiating Britain’s departure from the European Union.

“It feels like yesterday to me,” he said of his first day in Westminster, when Margaret Thatcher had just won her third General Election victory

And while many Tory MPs have stood down for the 2024 General Election, David, who lives near Howden, aims to carry on.

“I enjoy people, I like my constituents and constituency. East Yorkshire is one of the undiscovered jewels of Britain.”

In recent years, he has dealt with 40,000 emails, 6,000 cases, and he also played a role with other MPs in tackling the Horizon IT scandal at the Post Office.

With other MPs David campaigned to lower taxes, support the countryside, support free speech, and campaign against ‘unneccessary’ wars such as Iraq. His support for civil liberties led him to resign and fight a by-election over the issue in 2008.

Lamenting a lack of interest in such matters from younger MPs, he continued: “I still have plenty to fight over.”

York Press:

In recent days, David has been campaigning on the streets, saying people have been “warm and friendly.” Some are also “anxious, saying ‘you have to win.’”

The longstanding parliamentarian believes Labour’s lead is probably 10-12%, about half what pollsters say, saying this is what other MPs are telling him too.

He recalls being told to clear his desk in 1992, but John Major delivered an unexpected victory against Neil Kinnock and Labour.

“I think it’s all to play for,” David continued, despite “dear old Nigel (Farage)” announcing he was leading Reform UK and standing in Clacton.

“He’s a good friend of mine. He’s clearly out to cause as much mayhem as possible.”

“He’s not going to deliver a Reform Government. He might take votes from the Tories and let Labour in.”

David describes himself as a “low tax, low regulation” Tory, saying “there’s still plenty of us left” in a party some activists accuse of moving away from conservative values.

PM Rishi Sunak, he believes, is also a low tax Tory but he faced the “eyewateringly expensive” pandemic and its lockdowns, the latter of which Labour wanted even more of.

Labour, he recalls, also spent “all the money” when it was last in power, leaving empty coffers for the Tories to inherit.

Should Goole and Pocklington reject a longstanding MP, who was knighted last year for public and political service, David says he will return to the business world.

But he added: “I am not planning on that. I’m setting out to win the seat. This is my eleventh election. Let’s hope the people of Pocklington and Goole see fit for return me. I will be fighting hard for every vote.”

The other candidates are Liam Draycott (Labour), Richard Kelly (Reform UK) and Angela Stone (Green).