Tory parliamentary candidate for Henley announced

CAROLINE Newton has been selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for the Henley and Thame constituency.

She was chosen at a meeting of Oxfordshire Conservatives at Henley town hall on Saturday, which was attended by more than 100 party members.

Ms Newton, 54, from Britwell Salome, near Watlington, will be looking to succeed sitting Conservative MP John Howell at the general election, which is widely expected to be held this autumn.

Mr Howell, who has represented Henley in Parliament since 2008, announced in April that he would not be seeking re-election.

Ms Newton was selected ahead of investment banker Lucy Demery, former serviceman Lincoln Jopp and Meg Powell-Chandler, a senior aide to ministers.

She was a district councillor from 2017 to 2023 and a county councillor from 2012 to 2014. She has also chaired South Oxfordshire Conservative Association.

Ms Newton was also special adviser to the prime minister for seven months in 2022 and read history at Cambridge.

She told the Henley Standard: “I am absolutely delighted and quite humbled, I am very conscious of the work that we have got to do because we are going to have to start this election campaign very soon.

“Any election that you are in you must assume that you are not going to win it. I knew that I was a strong candidate but I also knew that the other candidates are good.

“I live here so I know this constituency relatively well, but there is always more stuff than ever and there are always people that you need to speak to and causes that I would really like to support.

“I am going to be working really hard to get out to all the villages and towns, to met as many members as I can and also meet many members of the public who aren’t yet thinking of voting.”

Ms Newton celebrated by going to the Relais Henley hotel in Hart Street.

She said: “I have always been passionate about this constituency I call home, and particularly about supporting our environment, local businesses, and the most vulnerable people in our community.

I look forward to meeting more residents across Henley and Thame over the coming months to hear what matters most to them; and to make my case for being their new representative in Parliament.”

Andrew Collins, who chairs the Henley and Thame Conservative Association, said: “Caroline is a fantastic local campaigner, who will bring a strong background and wealth of experience to the role.

“We are all looking forward to working with her and know that she will be a great champion for all residents across the new Henley and Thame constituency.”

A full report will appear in this week’s Henley Standard, out on Friday.