Peter Carroll will be the Liberal Democrat candidate fighting for the Maidstone and the Weald constituency at the next General Election.

Mr Carroll, a well-known local businessman, was selected by Maidstone party members at a hustings meeting in Coxheath Village Hall at the weekend.

He runs three transport-related businesses, Seymour Transport and Astran International Cargo at Larkfield, and Trident Commercial, a specialist repair company, at Barming.

Married to Lynne, Mr Carroll, 47, already has a national profile - he was a leader of the recent fuel duty protests in London and has led a prominent campaign on behalf of former Ghurkas denied residence in Britain.

He intends to fight the election mainly on local issues: he is opposed to the transfer of key hospital services from Maidstone to Pembury; he is opposed to KIG, the fright depot appliaction at Bearsted, and he wants to see a return to neighbourhood policing, with Bobbies living in the ward they patrol.

He believes that his Maidstone connections, he has previously lived in Pickering Street, Loose, will give him an edge over Helen Grant, who will replace Ann Widdecombe as the Tories' candidate for the constituency.

Mr Carroll said: "I understand why parties have an A-list, but I don’t think it’s fair on local people to ship someone in who has no connection with the area and say you must vote for her."

Mr Carroll previously stood as the Lib Dem candidate in Folkestone and Hythe in the 2001 and 2005 elections, losing both times to Michael Howard (Con).