Ranil Jayawardena was first elected as the MP for North East Hampshire in May 2015, having previously been a local Councillor in our constituency, serving as Deputy Leader of The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane until his election to Parliament.

Ranil said: "It is a great honour to represent our home. Having grown up in Hook, and gone to local schools in Hook and Odiham, I won a place at the London School of Economics. My wife grew up locally too and we moved to Bramley, in the northern part of our constituency, where we live with our two daughters, Daisy and Violet.

I was appointed as Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party in July 2019 and was asked by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to focus on devising policy to unleash Britain’s potential.

This follows my work on the Home Affairs Committee and, as our country leaves the EU, the International Trade Committee, where I always championed British businesses and made the case for free trade.

My business experience included working for Lloyds Banking Group in the City of London. I remain a Freeman of the City of London and a Fellow of the RSA.

In my spare time, I enjoy watching cricket, tennis and rugby. I have a strong interest in local history too."