Laura Trott is the Conservative candidate for Sevenoaks in the forthcoming General Election. She is the bookie's favourite to win since, in the 2017 election, Sir Michael Fallon won the seat for the Tories with a majority of nearly 22,000 and almost three times the vote of the Labour candidate, his nearest rival.

Her one disadvantage, perhaps, is that she is the only candidate to live outside the constituency - her home is in Balham, South West London.

However, she is keen to emphasise her local connections: she grew up in Oxted in Surrey and her parents now live in Downe.

Mrs Trott was the first in her family to go to university (she read history and economics at Oxford); she is the mother of a three-year-old girl and twin one-year-old boys.

She is an ambassador for the Sutton Trust, a charity which aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage. She works as a partner in Portland Communications, a political consultancy and public relations firm, with headquarters in Charing Cross and international offices.

She has had a long association with the Tory party since joining its staff as a political advisor in January 2009. From May 2010 until February 2012, she was political policy and media adviser to Francis Maude MP, then the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

She them became political advisor and head of family and education policy at No 10 and finally the director of strategic communications at No 10 for Prime Minister David Cameron until July 2016. Mr Cameron made her an MBE in his resignation honours list for political and public services.

Mrs Trott said: "The choice at this election is between a majority Conservative government that will end the paralysis and confusion in Parliament, get Brexit done, and let the country move on, or a hung Parliament bringing more confusion and Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street.

"If we have a Conservative Government, we can deliver what Sevenoaks needs: more funding for the NHS and our schools, and more police on our streets.

"As a local campaigner, I will fight to protect our green belt, secure the boys' grammar annexe and improve our rail services."

Other candidates standing in Sevenoaks are Sean Finch (Libertarian Party), Paulette Furse (Ind), Seamus McCauley (Lab), Gareth Willis (Lib Dem) and Paul Wharton (Green).

Head to our politics page for expert analysis and all the latest news from your politicians and councils.