The Conservative Party has chosen Oxford University graduate Richard Harrington as the man to replace Ian Oakley.

Tory party activists have been conducting a series of interviews over the past few days and appointed Mr Harrington as the town's new parliamentary candidate for Watford on Saturday.

He replaces Oakley as the Conservative election candidate for the town.

A former Leeds Grammar School and Keble College, Oxford, student, Mr Harrington is a long-standing party activist who sat on the Executive Board of the Federation of Conservative Students and was a member of the National Union Executive of the Party.

The father-of-two is currently chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel and is a party treasurer.

As part of that role he set up the Number 10 Club, a Conservative Party fundraising organisation, which charges members £10,000 a year for membership.

Mr Harrington, who lives in North London but has a property in Watford, remains a non-executive director of a property development firm founded and is a non-executive director of a wealth management business in the City.

He is also a former fundraising chairman of the Variety Club Children’s Society.

The Watford Conservative Party received significant interest in the post, which became available following Ian Oakley's arrest for harassing his political rivals.

In total, the local association received 78 applications and reduced the contenders to four by the weekend.

Those who missed out were Mimi Harker, who previously lost out to Oakley, Dominic Johnson and Janice Small.

On winning selection, Richard said: “Watford has always been an important part of my life.

“I believe, with hard work and determination, we can show people that it is the Conservative Party that has the best answers to their problems.

“I believe I am a caring and compassionate person - that is why I am in politics, it’s not for money, and it’s not for power.

“It is to try and help make all of our lives better. In the months ahead I will try my best to show people that these are not just words, they are central to my creed in life.

He added: “Watford people are like everyone else. They are tired of being controlled, with rules and regulations, with bureaucratic interference by government, locally and nationally, who always think they know better.

“I will strive, with everyone who wants to help, to bring about change, for the better, for all of us.”