Around 110 Liberal Democrat supporters filled the meeting room at the Rianos function suite in Maidstone today to formally adopt Jasper Gerard as the party’s candidate for the general election in May.

The vote of party members in support of Mr Gerard was unanimous, which was just as well as he has already been campaigning in the area for two years and all the election literature was already printed in his name.

Baroness Alison Suttie introduced the candidate to the audience, which included both a former Conservative and a former Labour Maidstone Borough Council candidate.

Mr Gerard said his opposition to the Conservative’s plan to build 18,600 homes across the town’s green hinterland was proving to be one of the key factors on the doorstep.

A confident Mr Gerard predicted he would be victorious at the poll and promised to work just as hard for Maidstone after his election as he had while campaigning. He declined an invitation to criticise his main rival, the sitting MP Helen Grant, but said he was “happy for people to make their own comparisons.”

Mr Gerard dismissed any fears of a Ukip challenge, pointing out that the party had no elected councillors within his constituency.

Mr Gerard was accompanied by his wife Diana and two children, Emelia and Fred.