Laurence Hughes, UK Independence Party, Henley

Name: Laurence Hughes

Candidate for: Henley

Party: UK Independence Party

Votes: 1,817

Profile:

Laurence Hughes, 57, is a classical composer who has had his work broadcast on BBC radio and television and currently works in visitor services at Oxford University.

Educated at the University of York and King’s College London, this is the first time he has become involved in politics. He previously worked as a music journalist for the national press. He moved to Oxfordshire a decade ago and lives on a narrowboat on the Oxford Canal and River Thames.

He said: “Local people are not happy about the amount of extra housing for the constituency. We need to preserve South Oxfordshire as a rural area and the decisions should be made locally in a democratic way.

“Priority should be for local people, especially younger people who cannot find affordable housing and have to move to Reading.

“I want to speak out about ever-increasing taxes, intrusive regulations, spiralling crime, overcrowding and swamping of local identity through mass immigration, dirty hospitals, failing education, and policing.

“UKIP can deal with these problems, but first we must regain our independence by leaving the undemocratic EU. Only then can we restore real local democracy to our communities and get our country and our quality of life back.”

GENERAL ELECTION 2010 – LATEST NEWS

• Four-fifths of new university and college students own smartphones
• £130m investment set to boost Black Country employment
• Black-tie bash for James Bond will be golden for trust
• Government to end top-down targets
• Coalition 'boosting reform plans'
• Home information packs to be axed
• Alcohol sales below cost price axed
• Estate agents hail demise of Hips
• Report on voting chaos published
• Cameron to hold talks with Sarkozy