The Liberal Democrats have named John Howson as their candidate for the newly-created Weald of Kent seat at the general election.

Mr Howson is currently the cabinet member for children, education and families on his local county council in Oxfordshire.

The Londoner has fought national elections on four previous occasions for the Lib Dems, without losing his deposit.

The new constituency was created out of other existing nearby patches to reflect the county’s growing population and is a predicted Conservative gain.

The Tories have already chosen Cambridge graduate Katie Lam to fight the seat on July 4. Kate Walder will represent the Green Party and Twiz Stripp for Reform.

The pollsters at Electoral Calculus predict the Conservatives will take the new seat comfortably, with an 84% chance of success.

Mr Howson said: “It is an honour to be asked to fight this new seat for the Lib Dems. With the experiences from four previous general elections under my belt, and a new seat with no sitting MP in place to fight, I look forward to the Lib Dems doing everything to add Weald of Kent to other seats in the South of England where we will be looking to win in 2024.

“The Tory Party is on the ropes, and the Lib Dems have shown Tory voters from Chesham and Amersham to North Shropshire and the West Country that Lib Dem MPs provide a better alternative for their votes than a disunited Labour Party.”

He claims Conservative voters are “disillusioned” over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s handling of the cost-of-living crisis, the NHS and public funding for roads and schools.

Mr Howson added: “The scandal of water companies pumping raw sewage into our rivers may well be adding to the NHS workload, as well as harming our pets.

‘The country has lost confidence in the Tories, and I offer voters a real, credible and experienced alternative.”

Mr Howson fought Reading East in 2005, Banbury in 2015 and 2017 and Castle Point in Essex in the 2019 general elections.

He has served as a magistrate and his career was mainly in education.

Cllr Howson was brought up in London and moved to Oxfordshire in 1979.