Congratulations to Alberto Costa who has been selected as the Conservative candidate for South Leicestershire.
The sitting MP Conservative MP Andrew Robathan is standing down next year. He had a majority of 15,524 in 2010.
Mr Costa, 43, is a lawyer who has worked in Whitehall for Treasury Solicitors representing the Home Secretary and Minister for Justice.
He has “pledged that his campaigning priorities will be support for rural communities, improved health services and increased job and business opportunities”.
He is married to Maria, a medical scientist, and the couple have two young children, Sophie and Alexander.
At the last election Mr Costa stood in Angus returning the highest vote for the Conservative Party in the constituency in 20 years.
Mr Costa said:
“I am honoured and delighted to have been chosen as the new Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Leicestershire.
“Andrew Robathan has been a fantastic Member of Parliament and my job over the next six months is to prove to the community that I am a worthy replacement.
“I will be campaigning for protection of amenities in rural Leicestershire and working with doctors to ensure a full range of health services are available for local people including for dementia patients.
“I also want to attract more high quality jobs and apprenticeships to the area.”
Commiserations go to the unsuccessful finalists Wendy Morton – a small business owner and Conservative Party vice chairman – and Christine Emmett who was the Conservative candidate in the Corby and East Northamptonshire by-election.