LibDems unveil parliamentary candidate

East Herts Liberal Democrats have named Chris Lucas as their candidate to stand at the next general election.

Mr.Lucas works as a lecturer at North Hertfordshire College and teaches University of Hertfordshire degree courses and is a familiar figure at Liberal Democrat conferences, having contributed on many debates including motions on a bill of rights, the NHS and opposing secret courts.

After his selection as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Hertford & Stortford constituency, Chris said: "I am delighted to have been selected as the Lib Dem Candidate for Hertford & Stortford. We live in unprecedented times. This Tory Government is recklessly trying to take us out of the EU without a deal and this would be a catastrophe for our country. I will work diligently to prevent this from happening and I appeal to the people of Hertford & Stortford to reject both the disastrous 'no-deal Brexit' that the Conservatives are hell-bent on delivering and the worrying prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn Government."

The announcement comes a day after local Tory MP Mark Prisk wrote to his constituency chairman to say that he'd be standing down at the next election.

Commenting on Mr.Prisk's retirement, Chair of Hertford & Stortford Liberal Democrats Andrew Porrer said: "I thank Mark Prisk for his 18 years of service locally. He has helped many constituents and taken up many worthwhile local causes. Sometimes this involved opposing damaging plans pushed by his Conservative colleagues on the District and County Councils. However nationally he hardly ever opposed his party, and it’s a shame that one of his final acts will have been to support the suspension of Parliament."

“It is now time for a fresh start in Hertford & Stortford and I am pleased to announce that Liberal Democrat Chris Lucas will be offering that fresh start.”

The Liberal Democrats scored 8.1% of the vote in the Hertford & Stortford constituency at the last general election. Their best recent showing was in 2010 when they gained 26% of the vote, coming second, ahead of Labour with 13.8%.