Grahame Hudson selected again as PPC

8.18.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 20th Aug 2008

The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that Grahame Hudson, 47, will be their prospective parliamentary candidate in Rutland and Melton for the next general election. Grahame has a keen interest in local and national politics and is an experienced and enthusiastic campaigner, having previously stood as the parliamentary candidate for Rutland and Melton in the May 2005 general election, increasing the Liberal Democrat share of the vote. He is a founder member of the Liberal Democrat Friends of the Armed Forces group, campaigning for better welfare and support for both serving and retired servicemen and women.

He was educated in London and then at the University of Sydney, where he was awarded a degree in African and Asian history. He served as an officer in the Royal Navy for ten years qualifying as a Russian interpreter and he was deployed as an European Union humanitarian aid monitor in Russia and as an arms control inspector in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. After leaving the RN, he worked as a director of a Russian/British research programme and senior research manager in the Civil Service and higher education. More recently, he gained a masters' degree in Diplomatic Studies at the University of Leicester whilst working as a project consultant and lecturer in business English. He is currently a senior lecturer and postgraduate course leader in the Faculty of Art and Design at De Montfort University in Leicester.

Married for ten years to Bernadette, Grahame lives in the constituency in the village of Medbourne near Uppingham and his interests include sailing, walking, cricket, rugby and the Russian language.

Speaking at the selection meeting in Oakham, Grahame said, "I believe that voters relate to the core Liberal Democrat values of liberty, equality and community. We have a great opportunity to make real progress against a discredited Labour government, who are in disarray and a Tory opposition with no policies and a leader and a shadow chancellor, who have no real experience of life outside politics. With Nick Clegg and Vince Cable leading the political agenda on all the key issues like the threat to our civil liberties, the economy, taxation and the environment, we are providing a real choice to voters in Rutland and Melton.

Peter Beanland, the local party chairman said, "We are all delighted that Grahame will be standing again. His breadth of experience in the Royal Navy, Civil Service and, latterly, as a university lecturer make him a most impressive candidate for Rutland and Melton."