North Shropshire Conservatives choose their candidate for the General Election

Simon Baynes MP won the backing of the membership at a meeting earlier today.

Mr Baynes, the current Clwyd South MP, is set to see his constituency abolished as part of boundary changes.

The North Shropshire membership had been given the choice of two candidates – Mr Baynes, and Shropshire Council's Cabinet Member for Housing and Assets, Councillor Dean Carroll.

Mr Baynes will be tasked with winning the constituency back from the Liberal Democrats, who wrenched the seat from Conservative control in December 2021, with a by-election victory that made national headlines.

Mr Baynes was elected to Parliament in 2019.

He has previously served on Powys County Council and was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration from July to September 2022.

Speaking after his selection Mr Baynes said: “I am very honoured to have been selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for North Shropshire given that, under the boundary changes, my Clwyd South constituency will cease to exist at the next general election.

"Having grown up on the Welsh borders at Lake Vyrnwy, been to school in Shrewsbury and through my work as the neighbouring MP, I know North Shropshire very well.

"I will continue to represent Clwyd South as their MP and then look forward to being the Conservative candidate at the next general election for North Shropshire.”

The members of Ludlow Constituency Conservative Association will also meet on Monday, to select a candidate to replace long-standing MP Philip Dunne.

It is understood they will be given a choice of four potential candidates before making their selection.