A NEW parliamentary candidate has been selected to represent the Liberal Democrats for Reading East.

Imogen Shepherd-DuBey was born in Reading and is a local councillor for Wokingham Borough Council, which covers the eastern part of the constituency.

She works in the IT industry.

In a statement, Imogen said: “The Liberal Democrats are unique amongst the major parties in that we are united supporting that the UK should remain part of the European Union and this has been a long-term consistent view for us.

"We don't feel we need to negotiate a new deal, because being part of the EU is the best deal there is.

"In the event of a referendum on any Brexit deal, all LibDems will be campaigning to remain part of the EU.

"We cannot deal with big problems such as Climate Change or International Terrorism without the support of our EU neighbours.

"We also need to guarantee the rights of EU workers in this country, particularly those who work in the NHS or social care, as well as supporting the rights of British people living and working in other EU countries.

"I am also deeply concerned about keeping the rights for our diverse and varied community in Reading.

"Along with my fellow LibDems, I was very happy to be part of the Reading Pride parade and event at Kings Meadow on Saturday and I have also had many successes fighting in support of people with disabilities who live locally.

"The Liberal Democrats are increasingly the choice of voters in Reading, where we have seen increased vote shares, and a membership surge this year, and LibDems won the vote in both Reading and Wokingham during the 2019 European elections. I am proud to be standing to represent the people of Reading East in parliament – when an election comes, we will be ready.