Tories name former surgeon as election candidate

Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst said he was "humbled" to have been selected as the Conservative candidate for Solihull West and Shirley

A former NHS surgeon has been named as a Conservative candidate for the general election.

Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst was chosen by the Solihull Conservative Association as their candidate for Solihull West and Shirley.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said he was "humbled" to have been selected.

“Public service is an enormous privilege and I will do my utmost to serve local residents to the best of my ability," he said.

Dr Shastri-Hurst, who has served in the army as a medical officer and was a barrister, had previously stood unsuccessfully for the North Shropshire seat in 2019, after Owen Paterson resigned as MP.

His appointment comes days after former Solihull Tory MP Julian Knight revealed he would contest the seat as an independent candidate.

Mr Knight was the Tory MP for Solihull from 2015 until 2022, when he was suspended from the party due to police investigations into allegations of sexual assault.

He continued to sit as an independent until Parliament was dissolved last week.

After the investigations were dropped by police, Mr Knight, who denied the alleged offences, said he would be standing down at next election.

But in a post on X on Friday, he announced a U-turn and said he had made the decision to stand again following discussions with his family, Conservative party members and constituents.

Other candidates standing for the newly created Solihull West and Shirley seat include:

• Ade Adeyemo for the Liberal Democrats

• Deirdre Fox for the Labour Party

• Mary Ann McKenna for Reform UK

The Green Party has yet to name its candidate.

A full list of candidates will be published by the BBC after nominations close on 7 June.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.