HERE are the candidates standing to be the MP for Newbury in the general election on December 12. 

The parliamentary constituency of Newbury covers most of West Berkshire, including Thatcham and Hungerford. 

Standing for the Liberal Democrats is Lee Dillon. Mr Dillon is the leader of the opposition on West Berkshire Council (WBC), and was mayor of Thatcham. He works for the housing association Sovereign and his lived in West Berkshire his whole life. 

Mr Dillon joined the Liberal Democrats in 1999, aged 16. He became a councillor in Thatcham in 2007. The Lib Dems regained control of both Newbury and Thatcham town councils, and increased their representation on WBC fourfold this May.

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Standing for the Conservative party is Laura Farris. Ms Farris is a barrister and former journalist. Richard Benyon, the previous MP for Newbury, is stepping down after 14 years representing the constituency. 

Ms Farris has worked for BBC News and Reuters, and has also written for the New York Times. Her father, Michael McNair-Wilson, was the Tory MP for Newbury from 1974 to 1992. She was born and brought up in Berkshire. 

Standing for the Green party is Steve Masters. Mr Masters represents Speen on WBC, and successfully campaigned for the council to declare a climate emergency. He is also a chairman of the mental health charity 8 Bells. 

Mr Masters used to be an engineer for the RAF. In the May local elections, the Green party was elected onto WBC for the first ever time, with Mr Masters and two other councillors. 

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Standing for the Labour party is James Wilder. Mr Wilder is a teacher at Park House School in Newbury and was born and raised in Thatcham. 

Mr Wilder graduated from the University of Bath with first-class honours. He also sits on the youth advisory board for an Olympic legacy charity called Spirit of 2020, which funds community projects across the UK. 

An independent candidate, Ben Holden-Crowther, is standing without a party. He works in cryptocurrency and his lived in the Bucklebury area for his whole life. 

Mr Holden-Crowther believes people are 'fed up with adverserial party politics' and want to discuss other issues than Brexit.

The candidate for the Brexit party, David Jabbari, stood down after Nigel Farage decided not to contest the 317 seats won by the Tories in 2017. 

Mr Jabbari tweeted that while he is supporting Ms Farris, the Tory candidate, local Brexit party supporters are ‘watching for any signs of remain sympathies’.