Published: Sunday, 1st June, 2008 15:00
Tories pick their man to fight Henley
By Adam Hewitt
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John Howell, the Tory candidate for Henley
GORING councillor Ann Ducker missed out on her chance to fill Boris Johnson's shoes on Friday.
Henley Conservative Association instead chose Oxfordshire County Councillor John Howell to be the Tory candidate for the coming by-election.
Mr Howell called it an "honour" to be selected, and added: "I plan to spend the next few weeks talking to as many local people as possible about the issues that affect us all in South Oxfordshire."
Mr Howell is a former partner at accountants Ernst and Young, specialising in Eastern European affairs, and also used to be a presenter for BBC World. He received an OBE in 2000, and now works in international visual communications and represents Dorchester and Berinsfield on the county council.
Mrs Ducker, the leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, had been hotly-tipped for the role after party leader David Cameron intervened last week to speed up the process of finding a replacement for the new Mayor of London.
He had ordered the local party faithful to choose a local candidate after blocking moves by Mr Johnson's father Stanley to stand.
The by-election is expected to be announced for later this month or early July.
For more Henley by-election news, see Thursday's Reading Chronicle.
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