Member of Parliament for Harborough, Oadby & Wigston Constituency
Neil O'Brien OBE has worked within No. 10 for several years and was an adviser to the Prime Minister on the economy, specifically working with employers in the Midlands on the "Midlands Engine" plan - the government's strategy to boost the economy by investing in the infrastructure and skills here and in turn attracting new businesses and more good jobs to the Midlands.
Neil's wife Jemma is a doctor, and their little daughter Florence was born in an NHS hospital - so fighting for good NHS services locally will be a top priority!
Neil says, "Since she became PM I've been working for Theresa May in Downing Street. She's a brilliant boss and a strong leader for Britain.
"I'm standing for the Conservatives here because our excellent former Conservative MP, Sir Edward Garnier, has retired. He's an amazing man and has helped a lot of people here over the last 25 years!
"I want to follow in his footsteps as a strong local constituency MP for everyone in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston."
During the election campaign in 2017, Neil had several key objectives:
Improving housing and planning
We do need to build more houses - but we won't get anywhere with a broken planning system that doesn't have people's consent.
- I care passionately about preserving our beautiful landscapes, villages and towns. I’ll fight to change the planning system which puts development in the wrong places, is biased in favour of developers and ties the hands of local councillors.
Fairer schools funding
- I am a strong advocate of good education and I am fighting for fair funding for our schools.
Better road, rail service and broadband
- I am campaigning for investment in our roads, rail service and broadband. Improving these basic infrastructure elements can help to bring more businesses and jobs to the constituency and enable people to work flexibly and efficiently.
Good community relations
I am working hard for good community relations within Harborough, Oadby and Wigston.
One of the things that makes this such a special place is the really strong sense of community. There is a huge amount of voluntary and charity work here, and I’m standing to support that.
I’ve been Chairman of Governors for a state primary school, and I spent six years doing outreach work with homeless people. If elected I’ll do everything I can to champion local causes – both here and in Westminster.