THE Liberal Democrat election candidate for Oxford East has pledged to strongly oppose Brexit in Parliament if she is elected.

Dr Kirsten Johnson, 47, claimed Labour’s Andrew Smith – who retired as constituency MP this month – had not represented local people when he voted to begin the UK’s formal exit from the European Union.

In the Brexit referendum last year, 70 per cent of voters in Oxford backed Remain compared to 48 per cent nationally. Mr Smith said it was important to ‘honour the referendum result’.

But Dr Johnson said: “We are a representative democracy and I do not think Mr Smith represented Oxford East when he voted to activate Article 50.

“A lot of people here were very frustrated by that decision. I would represent people’s views and fight a hard Brexit, to keep us in the single market and protect the rights of EU nationals.”

The mum-of-three, who lives in Headington, said her party also supported another referendum on the terms of Britain’s exit deal – with an option to stay in the EU.

She added: “Many of us in Oxford have family, friends and colleagues who are from other EU countries and there is a very international outlook in the city. But we also rely on academics from other countries, as well as the huge number of EU nationals in the NHS and at BMW and companies like Oxford Instruments. They are tremendously important and we believe the people should get the final say on any deal.”