Michael was the first Sevenoaks parliamentary candidate to hand in his nomination papers at 10am today.
Michael said:
“We’re planning a very vigorous campaign. As well as street canvassing, I will be holding at least eight open public meetings in villages across the constituency. There will also be several all-candidate debates, organised by the churches and local schools, including the Chronicle hustings on Monday 4th May.
“The election issues here will be local as well as national: how we can secure the recovery to provide more jobs here for our young people, to give rail commuters a better deal, and to continue to protect the Green Belt. I will also be supporting our Conservative council candidates: they can be very proud of their record in running good value, efficient services throughout Sevenoaks District.”
I am holding meetings in the following villages over the next few days:
Wednesday 15th April – New Ash Green Village Hall 7.30 pm
Thursday 16th April – Otford Memorial Hall 7.30 pm
Friday 17th April – All-Candidate Hustings organised by Swanley Churches – St Peter’s Church, Hextable 7.00 pm
Note: notwithstanding the dissolution of Parliament Michael continues as Secretary of State for Defence, with ministerial responsibility for the armed forces, in particular for current operations against ISIL, in Afghanistan, and in Sierra Leone. He will carry out his duties at the Ministry of Defence alongside his local and national campaigning, and attend the MoD in London when required.