THE Conservative party has announced its new candidate standing in the Eastleigh constituency at the next general election. 

Qualified lawyer and senior business consultant, Samuel Joynson, has been selected as the Tory candidate for the town. 

He will be bidding to replace current Conservative MP, Paul Holmes, who will be contesting the new Hamble Valley constituency instead.

Mr Joynson, 31, told Conservative members he was "local, relatable and experienced". 

He has practised as a lawyer for four years and now works as an international business consultant. 

READ MORE: Eastleigh's Conservative MP to stand in new Hamble Valley constituency

Mr Holmes said he is "absolutely delighted" with his selection.

He said: "Being a resident of Eastleigh, Sam knows the issues that we all face across the borough and I have no doubt he will be a superb Member of Parliament, putting Eastleigh residents first every step of the way.

"A qualified lawyer and senior business consultant, Sam brings a wealth of real-world experience, compassion and innovative ideas to Eastleigh.

"I am thoroughly looking forward to working Sam and making our Borough an even better place to live and work."

Upon winning the vote, the new Tory candidate said his ambition was "to be the MP for Eastleigh for many years to come, overseeing the transformation of Eastleigh into a place of high-tech, high-quality jobs hailing from the new government-funded Solent Freeport".

READ MORE: Eastleigh high street could turn into 'ghost town,' warn Lib Dems

Among the candidates he will be facing is Liberal Democrat Liz Jarvis - a councillor in Eastleigh and school governor - who is described by her party as a "hard-working community champion". 

Mr Joynson lives with his fiancée - who works at Southampton University - in the Lakeside area of the Eastleigh South ward.

Hailing from a single-parent family and a state comprehensive education, he claims to have experienced first-hand the pressures of the cost of living growing up, and that he is ready to tackle the pressures that families across the constituency are facing "with empathy and compassion".