I WOULD like to express my thanks to all those people in Knutsford who, directly and via others, indicated that they would like me to stand as the next Member of Parliament for Tatton following George Osborne’s decision to stand down.

I am very humbled by this level of support and the associated trust those concerned have in me.

Unfortunately, I am not an approved Parliamentary candidate and as such the rules of the Conservative Party determined that my name could not be considered at this time.

I was very pleased that in response to local opinion the Conservative Party provided local members with three very good Cheshire-based candidates (I see Wirral as still being in Cheshire) to choose from.

The selection meeting chose Esther McVey and I am pleased to endorse her candidature and offer her my whole-hearted support in the weeks ahead.

I am confident she will make an excellent MP for Tatton and look forward to working with her in the future for all the people of Knutsford.

Stewart Gardiner