Political career before Parliament
Wilkinson was first elected to Cheltenham Borough Council to serve Park ward in 2014,deposing the then Conservative group leader in what was then the Conservative Party’s safest ward in Cheltenham. [4]
He subsequently became the councillor for Oakley ward in 2018, [8] and was reelected in the ward with a much increased majority in 2022. [9] As a backbench councillor,he put affordable housing at the heart of his work. His campaigns led to a large increase in affordable housing investment in Cheltenham,including the town’s £180 million housing investment scheme. [10] [11]
In 2020 he was appointed as Cheltenham's first Council Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency. [12] He oversaw Cheltenham’s first Climate Emergency Action Plan, [13] led on the Climate Change Supplementary Planning Document, [14] introduced the £10million Cheltenham Zero Fund and led the formation of the Cheltenham Zero Partnership. In 2022 he was made Cabinet Member for economic development,culture,tourism and wellbeing. [15] In that role he oversaw a landmark report and action plan to tackle empty shops in the town centre,focusing on converting empty spaces into flats and apartments. [16] He also came up with the concept of the Feed Cheltenham Leisure Pass,enabling local food pantry users to gain free access to leisure activities. [17] Wilkinson led a campaign to have a memorial tree planting in memory of Cheltenham people lost during the Covid pandemic and all of the public servants who worked so hard to save lives and keep the town going during lockdown. The avenue of trees was planted in Sandford Park. [18]
Wilkinson stood down as a councillor in May 2024. [19]
Parliamentary career
Election History
Wilkinson was the Liberal Democrat general election candidate in Stroud at the snap 2017 general election,where he came in third place with 2,053 votes (3.2%). [20] Later that year,he was selected to contest the Cheltenham seat. In the 2019 general election he came second with 27,505 votes (46.3%),981 votes behind the incumbent Conservative MP Alex Chalk. [21]
Wilkinson was elected MP for Cheltenham in the 2024 general election on 4 July,with 25,076 votes (50.6%) and a majority of 7,210 over Alex Chalk,then Conservative Justice Secretary and incumbent MP. There were five candidates and a turnout of 65%. [3] [22] Chalk had held the seat since 2015,taking it from the Liberal Democrats. [23]
In his maiden speech,Wilkinson spoke of the rich culture of Cheltenham,highlighting its numerous festivals,including literature,horse racing,poetry,music,jazz,food,cricket,and science,emphasizing its identity as "the festival town." He spoke about the need to improve local health services. He stated that his first priority would always be his constituency. [24]
Cyber Security
Wilkinson is a supporter of Cheltenham’s Cyber security and tech community. He has asked numerous questions in Parliament about the town’s cyber security sector,referencing the local cyber cluster,CyNam, [25] including lobbying successfully for £20million funding for Cheltenham’s council-led Golden Valley development. [26]
He is vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cyber Innovation. [27]
Health
Among Wilkinson’s earliest achievements as MP was the development of a cross-party consensus among Gloucestershire’s MPs on the need to fully reopen the birth unit at Cheltenham General Hospital, [28] which had been temporarily closed almost two years prior to his election. His campaign for a new GP surgery [29] to accommodate the town’s growth began before his election. He has also campaigned to protect and improve local A&E services. Cheltenham General Hospital’s A&E was downgraded to an overnight minor injuries unit in 2013 and Wilkinson’s campaign for election in 2024 questioned the Conservative MP’s claims of success on local hospital campaigns.
Spokesperson Role
As the Lib Dem Culture Media and Sport spokesperson,Wilkinson has campaigned strongly for the rights of artists and creatives. He has spoken out against the threat posed to creatives by AI,most notably in the context of proposed changes to copyright laws. [30] He campaigns for the rights of touring artists in light of the challenges they have faced since Brexit. [31]
He is known for bringing lighthearted asides and gentle humour to his spokesperson’s role,often deploying song title puns during questions. [31]
Wilkinson revealed in a speech to the Commons that despite being the Lib Dem sports spokesperson,he did not achieve grade C at GCSE PE after a poor rounders assessment. [32] He also claims to have scored a goal from the halfway line during a University football match. [32]
The Sunshine Bill
In Parliament,Wilkinson presented the New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill as his Private Members Bill. [33] The bill,branded the Sunshine Bill,would see solar panels installed on all newbuild homes. It gained widespread support and received a positive response from the government at second reading. While the Bill did not pass for a third reading, [34] the government pledged to work with Wilkinson to introduce the change.
In April and May 2025,Wilkinson was the victim of a misinformation campaign by Reform UK. A Reform party social media account manipulated footage taken in the House of Commons to give the appearance Wilkinson had called Nigel Farage a ‘stupid c***’. After Wilkinson raised a Point of Order from in the House of Commons, [35] Reform deleted the post and issued an apology to him and the House of Commons. [36]
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