Aphra Brandreth to stand for Tories in father Gyles's old seat

The daughter of former MP and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth is to stand in a new constituency that will contain part of the seat her father once held.

Aphra Brandreth has been chosen as the Conservative candidate in Chester South and Eddisbury at the next election.

Gyles Brandreth was MP for the City of Chester in the 1990s.

The new constituency is the successor to the Eddisbury seat, which is currently represented by Conservative MP Edward Timpson.

Mr Timpson, who was elected in 2019, previously said he would not be standing for election again and wanted to leave politics to concentrate on legal work and acting as an advocate for vulnerable children and families.

Ms Brandreth, who is deputy chairman of the Conservative Women's Organisation, stood for the seat of Kingston and Surbiton at the 2019 general election, coming second to current Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, she said it was a "huge honour" to be selected to run in Cheshire.

Her father, who was a TV personality before becoming a politician, was the Conservative MP for the City of Chester between 1992 and 1997.

Known for his love of outlandish knitwear, he has since become a regular contributor to ITV's This Morning and a number of panel shows, including BBC One's Have I got News For You and BBC Two's QI.

Congratulating his daughter on X, he said she had "integrity, intelligence, a cool head [and] a kind heart", which were "all her mother's qualities".