Laura Farris formally adopted as Conservative candidate for Newbury at next general election

Laura Farris has been formally adopted as the Conservative candidate for Newbury at the next general election.

Posting on Twitter, she said: “It has been the privildge of my life to represent Newbury in Parliament and I am delighted to have been formally adopted as the Conservative candidate in the next general election.”

Mrs Farris was first elected in the 2019 general election, with a majority of 16,047.

Her father, Michael McNair-Wilson, had represented the constituency between 1974 and 1992.

The Newbury seat is to be carved up and villages east of Thatcham will have a new MP under the boundary commission proposals.

The new Newbury constituency will extend from Upper Lambourn to Thatcham and from Fawley and Farnborough to Coombe, covering Hungerford, Inkpen, Chieveley, Cold Ash and the downlands villages.

The villages of Aldermaston, Basildon, Bradfield and Bucklebury will move from Newbury into the new Mid-Berkshire constituency.

Calcot, Pangbourne, Purley-on-Thames, Sulham, Theale, Tidmarsh and Tilehurst – currently in Reading West – will fall under Reading West and Mid Berkshire, along with Beenham, Burghfield, Padworth, and Mortimer, which are currently in the Wokingham constituency.

The Boundary Commission for England has proposed the changes to ensure that the number of electors in each constituency is more equal.

There were 83,414 registered voters in Newbury Constituency for the 2019 general election. Under the new proposals Newbury will have 71,631 electors and Mid Berkshire 69,999.

At the time of the announcement Mrs Farris was in favour of the changes.

“I couldn’t argue with the logic of equalising them in the manner that was proposed,” she said. “I definitely think the principle of fair representation is a really vital one.

“Obviously it’s strange because its villages that you know and you love and feel such a strong bond with, but the principle of fairness in the distribution of seats and the independence of the process is not something I would criticise at all.

“I think it’s welcome, it’s democratic and I think it’s as fair as it can be.”