THE General Election is approaching swiftly, with less than a month for candidates to spread the word of why they should be the next person to represent the people in parliament.

We continue our series of features on the candidates in each of Oxfordshire’s constituencies with a look at the candidates for Henley.

In the Henley constituency there are four candidates standing to become the next MP.

These are John Howell (Conservatives), Laura Coyle (Liberal Democrats), Zaid Marham (Labour) and Jo Robb (The Green Party).

The Conservatives

Oxford Mail:

John Howell.

Conservative candidate John Howell was the area's MP until the general election was called at the end of last month and parliament was dissolved.

Mr Howell was first elected as MP for Henley in 2008, and went on to win subsequent elections in 2010, 2015, and 2017.

When the election was called, Mr Howell said issues important to his constituents including health and social care, housing and infrastructure, education and climate change were being ‘drowned out’ by Brexit.

He said: “I can find few who wish to go back to square one on this and start again. It is important that we have good relations with mainland Europe whatever the outcome of Brexit.”

He added: “I shall be fighting an election on the widest range of topics and certainly not just on Brexit.”

Liberal Democrats

Oxford Mail:

Laura Coyle.

Laura Coyle, Liberal Democrat candidate, has lived near Goring for eight years with her husband Ray and six-year-old son who attends the local school.

She also has two teenaged stepchildren.

She as previously worked as a Lib Dem councillor and campaigned for the homeless and those who are living in substandard and insecure housing.

Ms Coyle now works as a housing solicitor in Oxford providing advice and legal representation to tenants and homeless people, primarily through legal aid, and is also a director of a small almshouse charity.

She campaigned for Remain in 2016 and has continued to campaign against Brexit.

Her campaign website said she ‘wants to give the people of Henley the chance to vote for someone who believes that the UK, and the world, will be a better, greener, safer place if the UK remains at the heart of Europe.’

READ MORE about candidates in the 2019 general election from across Oxfordshire here:

The Labour Party

Oxford Mail:

Zaid Marham.

Zaid Marham is the Labour Party Candidate for Henley.

He grew up in Oxfordshire, and lives in Oxford.

He has a degree in Molecular Biology and a Masters degree in Applied Genetics, and has been a tutor in science and maths for more than 20 years and runs a small tutorial establishment.

Mr Marham has been involved in various political campaigns from CND when he was at school to building support for the miners' strike in the mid 1980s and the campaign against the poll tax.

For the last 20 years the main focus of his political activity has been the peace movement, in which he has been actively involved at local level.

He joined the Labour Party in September 2015, when Jeremy Corbyn became leader.

He remains interested in foreign policy but is also strongly interested in education, health, and the environment which, along with housing, he considers the key local issues.

The Green Party

Oxford Mail:

Jo Robb.

Jo Robb, Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Henley, was elected to represent the Woodcote and Rotherfield Ward on South Oxfordshire District Council in May.

Ms Robb has previously campaigned on climate change, fossil fuel divestment, preserving the Chilterns AONB and reforming planning law.

She is originally from Sydney, Australia, and studied law and English at the University of New South Wales.

She worked in the litigation department of a major Australian commercial law firm before moving to the UK in 2010 to become a journalist.

Ms Robb said: ““If you want to avoid an environmentally and economically damaging hard Brexit, if you want to see real action on climate change, and if you believe a People’s Vote and Green New Deal are the best way to solve these issues, vote Green.”

Did you know?

Henley was current prime minister Boris Johnson’s seat in parliament between 2001 and 2008.

He then went on to become Mayor of London, before returning to parliament as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in 2015.