Here are the general election candidates for Reading East and Reading West

The general election takes place in one month, on December 12, and there will be two elections in Reading, with the town and surrounding areas split into two constituencies.

Reading East includes wards in Reading (Abbey, Caversham, Church, Katesgrove, Mapledurham, Park, Peppard, Redlands, and Thames) and Wokingham (Bulmershe and Whitegates, Loddon, and South Lake).

Reading West includes wards in Reading (Battle, Kentwood, Minster, Norcot, Southcote, Tilehurst, and Whitley) and West Berkshire (Birch Copse, Calcot, Pangbourne, Purley on Thames, Theale, and Westwood).

Reading East

Mitchell Feierstein, Brexit Party

Mitch Feierstein is a British-American investor, banker and writer.

He has worked as a columnist for the Daily Mail and currently works as a columnist for The Independent and the Huffington Post.

Feierstein appears regularly as a financial commentator on SKY, BBC, and RT and in 2012 published his first book, Planet Ponzi, which gives his perspective of the global credit crisis.

David McElroy, Green Party

Reading east campaigner David McElroy has been campaigning to “save Reading’s libraries” and is against Labour’s East Reading MRT plan.

He backs remain, a Green New Deal and reopening the closed Arthur Hill swimming pool.

He said: “Living in Reading with a young family, my vision is for a fair, cleaner future for all of us.”

Craig Morley, Conservative Party

Craig Morley has worked as a political advisor for former Reading East MP Rob Wilson and was a diplomat at the Foreign Office for several years.

Mr Morley is pro-Brexit, has criticised councils declaring climate emergencies as a "socialist trojan horse" and wants the council to reopen the Arthur Hill swimming pool.

He went viral last week after a blunder saw a photo of a Scottish abbey placed on his website rather than the Reading Abbey Ruins.

Yemi Awolola, Christian Peoples Alliance

The final candidate to be announced, Mr Awolola is standing for Christian Peoples Alliance, an anti-abortion Christian democratic political party.

He set up a petition last month opposing the closure of Chick Fil-A after its six month trial stint at The Oracle.

He called protests against the restaurant “an attack on anything Christian”.

Matt Rodda, Labour Party

The MP in Reading East for the last two years, Matt Rodda was elected in 2017 with 49 per cent of the vote.

He is a former journalist for the Independent and Coventry Telegraph and worked as a civil servant at the Department for Education.

This year he organised a petition to save the Reading Gaol for community which has received more than 7,000 signatures.

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey, Liberal Democrats

Born in Reading, Imogen Shepherd-Dubey is a local councillor for Wokingham Borough Council, which covers the eastern part of the constituency.

She is a councillor for Emmbrook ward in Wokingham and works in the IT industry.

Ms Shepherd-Dubey supports remaining in the EU.

Reading West

Rachel Eden, Labour Party

A councillor in Reading for Whitley ward since 2010, Rachel Eden lives in west Reading.

She runs her own small business that works with charities, social enterprises and growing businesses.

Ms Eden has previously held the lead councillor for Adult Social Care role at RBC and is currently chair of the Access and Disabilities Working Group.

Meri O’Connell, Liberal Democrats

Reading councillor Meri O’Connell (centre left in photo) has twice stood for election in Reading West.

She stood at the last election in 2017, coming in third place with 5.9 per cent of the vote, and in 2015, when she placed fourth with 4.9 per cent.

Ms O’Connell said: “I have a passion for this area and a track record of campaigning and want to give residents a positive local choice.”

Alok Sharma, Conservative Party

The MP in Reading West since 2010, Alok Sharma is currently the Secretary of State for International Development.

He previously served as Housing Minister and Employment Minister in government.

Mr Sharma won 48.9 per cent of the vote in 2017, beating Labour challenger Olivia Bailey by just under 3,000 votes.

Jamie Whitham, Green Party

Jamie Whitham (bottom right in photo) lives in Reading and is a Green Party councillor in east Reading.

Mr Whitham was elected as Redlands ward councillor in May 2019, taking the seat from the Labour Party.

He has called for a “properly funded Green New Deal to insulate homes, generate renewable energy and create decent jobs”.

No longer standing – Paul Chapman, Brexit Party

Mr Chapman was asked to stand down this week along with hundreds of other Brexit Party candidates in the UK after Nigel Farage, leader of the party, said all Brexit Party candidates in seats Conservatives won in 2017 would stand down.

He said: “I’m not at all surprised to be asked to stand down in Reading West.

“As a marginal seat, many people were telling me that they were not sure how best to vote in order to secure Brexit and while many are yet to be convinced that Boris will deliver the Brexit we voted for, they are 100per cent certain that the Labour Party won’t and so this is the right thing to do.

“I feel disappointed for those that have helped my campaign to date, but we have two seats in Berkshire that we will be contesting and I’m urging anyone that wants to help, to get behind our candidates in Reading East and Slough.”

Any further nominations for the election must be sent to the council by Thursday, November 14.