It was confirmed last night that South Thanet MP, Craig Mackinlay, will be a candidate at the next general election after he was readopted at a meeting of the Executive of the South Thanet Conservative Association.
Craig will either be the Conservative candidate for a new East Thanet seat, or the existing South Thanet constituency. A final recommendation by the Boundary Commission for England is due in early July.
The next general election will be the fourth fought in Thanet by Craig who was first elected South Thanet MP in 2015 after defeating the then UKIP Leader, Nigel Farage. Craig went on to be re-elected at both the 2017 and 2019 general elections with increasing majorities.
After his readoption last night, Craig Mackinlay MP, said:
“I am both proud and extremely pleased to have been re-selected by the South Thanet Conservative Association to be their candidate at the next general election.
“Nobody knows this constituency as I do and hope I have proved my dedication to local constituents in the role as their local champion in Westminster since first being adopted back in 2014.
“I especially want to continue to fight locally for the re-opening of Manston airport with the potential for £500m of private investment and thousands of jobs in the teeth of opposition from Labour and the other parties. I’ve been saying for as long as anyone will listen that Thanet with Manston for aviation is a wholly different Thanet from one without: the turn-key to prosperity in East Kent.
“And I pledge to continue to have difficult, but necessary, conversations with those in government to bring common sense to bear as I have in the past: be they on costly Covid lockdowns, tax policy or to steer the government towards an energy policy that is affordable, sensible and achievable. I am recognised as being both outspoken yet rooted in common sense.
“A big thank you to my dedicated Association, volunteers and voters for your continued support. I look forward with enthusiasm and relish to fighting the next general election with you.”