Kentish Express Ashford & District
Five candidates in the race as election nears
Voters to head to polls as runners and riders revealed
With the General Election less than a month away, the full list of Ashford candidates has now been revealed.
Bringing the number of parliamentary hopefuls to five, an independent candidate has now emerged in the form of Susannah De Sanvil.
The Ukip member and Soroptimist International Ashford president was confirmed as final listings were revealed last Thursday.
She now joins Conservative candidate Damian Green, Labour’s Dara Farrell, Lib Dem Adrian Gee-Turner and the Green Party’s Mandy Rossi.
The constituency has historically proven to be a Conservative stronghold, with Mr Green holding the seat since 1997.
Ashford has elected a member of the Conservatives on every outing since 1885, except for a Liberal MP voted in during the 1929 election.
There will be 77 polling stations in the borough next month, which will be open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday, December 12.
It was revealed on November 11 that Brexit Party candidates will not be fielded in seats won by the Conservatives in 2017.
For this reason, Andrea Cooke has pulled out of the constituency race.
Brexit is set to dominate the vote, with the environment being another key issue in this election.
Three of the five candidates stood in the 2017 election.
Two years ago, Mr Green won with 59% of the vote, with Mr Gee-Turner coming third on 5.2% and Ms Rossi last with 2.3%.
With the election just a few weeks away, here is the official list of candidates competing for the Ashford constituency, which saw a 69% turnout in 2017:
Conservative: Damian Green
A 22-year veteran of Westminster, Mr Green served as First Secretary of State two years ago and has previously held the post of minister of state for police and criminal justice.
Labour: Dara Farrell
Mr Farrell represents Victoria ward at Ashford Borough Council and has been leader of Kent County Council’s Labour Group since 2017.
He is also a governor at the John Wallis Academy.
Lib Dem: Adrian Gee-Turner
Mr Gee-Turner previously headed the Lib Dems at Hackney Borough Council, and is a member of the Liberal Democrat Trade Unionists. In 2010, he ran to be Mayor of Hackney.
Green Party: Mandy Rossi
Ms Rossi has been a long-time activist allied with the Save Our NHS, climate strikes, anti-fracking and animal rights campaigns. She volunteers with Wombles of Willesborough and The Retreat Animal Sanctuary.
Independent: Susannah De Sanvil
Ms De Sanvil is a member of Ukip and has spoken to the Kenyan government about female genital mutilation.
She serves at the education appeals service and education review panels.