A former Liberal Democrat party leader visited a Kent town to endorse his party’s choice of candidate for the next election.

Vince Cable joined Dave Naghi – who will be standing in the Maidstone and Malling constituency at the next General Election – for a fundraising dinner at the Maidstone Masonic Centre in Tovil.

Sir Vince, who served as Secretary of State for business, innovation and skills in the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government under David Cameron, gave an after-dinner speech to party members.

He predicted that although the Conservatives would lose seats in the General Election, Labour were not going to achieve the big majority they hoped for.

He said that would leave the Liberal Democrats with a significant role to play in the middle ground.

Mr Naghi, who lives in Mote Avenue, Maidstone, runs his own building firm. He is the chairman of the Maidstone River Festival and has served as a Maidstone borough councillor for 21 years.

He was Maidstone’s first American-born mayor and hopes to become its first American-born MP.

Meanwhile, our political editor Paul Francis has predicted neighbouring Tunbridge Wells, could become something of an electoral battleground in the next election, with the Lib Dems setting up an HQ in the town.

Greg Clark is the current MP, in what is traditionally seen as a safe Tory seat.