A Green Party councillor will hope it is fourth time lucky when he contests the Bicester and Woodstock seat at the General Election.

Ian Middleton has been chosen as the Green’s prospective parliamentary candidate for the newly created constituency.

He previously ran unsuccessful campaigns for the party in the Banbury constituency in the 2015, 2017 and 2019 elections.

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Mr Middleton said it was a “wonderful honour” to be selected again.

The entrepreneur and business adviser was elected as Cherwell District Council’s first ever Green councillor in 2019.

He is also the deputy leader of the Green and Liberal Democrat Alliance on Oxfordshire County Council.

Last year, he came under fire for historic tweets he made between 2011 and 2013, including one asking a woman if it was “the wrong time of the month”. 

He defended the posts as “banter” and "irony".

Mr Middleton will contest the new seat with Liberal Democrats candidate Calum Miller and Conservative Rupert Harrison.

He said: “Having stood for Parliament three times before, it will be great to finally be able to stand in my home constituency in the hope that I can represent this area in Westminster.

“There are so many important local issues across the constituency, some of which can only be addressed by Westminster.

“I will do my best to justify the faith that local party members have placed in me to fight for the interests of residents locally, nationally and globally."