Tory ex-AM chosen to fight Opik

Glyn Davies lost his seat in May's assembly election

Former Tory AM Glyn Davies has been chosen to fight the Montgomeryshire Parliamentary constituency at the next general election.

Mr Davies, who lost his seat in the Welsh assembly earlier this year, is set to challenge the current MP, Lib Dem Lembit Opik.

Mr Davies said he was "very pleased" to be chosen but did "not underestimate the challenge which lies ahead".

Mr Davies, 63, was an mid and west Wales AM between 1999 and 2007.

After being selected as the Parliamentary candidate, Mr Davies wrote on his blog; "Now it's Lembit Opik's 7,173 majority that's in my sights...Westminster, here we come"

"Welsh Conservatives showed at the recent assembly elections that we can challenge the LibDems in what is perceived to be their territory and win more votes than them," he said.

"I hope to continue that trend at the general election.

"Since I lost my assembly seat, I've been anxious to get back into frontline politics and serve the people of Montgomeryshire.

The Conservatives used a system which allowed local people, including non-party members, to choose their candidate.

Mr Davies, who is from Welshpool and fought the Montgomeryshire seat at the 1997 General Election, has previously criticised Mr Opik's "celebrity approach to politics".

Mr Opik has represented the constituency for 10 years and increased his majority to 7,173 at the last general election in 2005.