Rishi Sunak advisor Ameet Jogia defeated a former BBC journalist and a Barnet councillor in a vote of local members yesterday reports David Floyd

Ameet Jogia MBE a Downing Street advisor and Harrow councillor has been selected as Conservative candidate for Hendon at the next general election — Ameet Jogia MBE who has been selected as the Conservative candidate for Hendon

The Conservative Party has selected its candidate to replace outgoing MP Matthew Offord in Hendon at the next general election.

Ameet Jogia, who received an MBE for political and public services in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2022, has been a political adviser to prime minister Rishi Sunak since last December. He previously worked as a political aide to the Conservative peer Lord Popat.

Jogia has been a local councillor in Harrow since 2014 and is co-chair of Conservative Friends of India. He previously stood in Brent North at the general election in 2017, coming second to Labour’s Barry Gardiner.

The other shortlisted candidates for yesterday’s vote were former BBC News correspondent Clarence Mitchell, who is now leader of the Conservative group on Reading Council, and Hendon ward councillor Alex Prager, who launched his bid for the nomination in May.

Offord, who has announced his intention to stand down at the election expected in 2024, had a majority of 4,230 over Labour’s David Pinto-Duschinsky at the 2019 election. Pinto-Duschinsky was selected to fight the seat again for Labour in July last year.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.