A TRUE blue legacy has been handed across the generations in Mid-Worcestershire - where the county is guaranteed to get a new MP.

After the retirement of Sir Peter Luff, who represented the newly-drawn constituency from 1997 all the way to last month, the mantle is being passed on in every expectation of another Tory victory.

Sir Peter's majority was 15,864 in 2010, and the challenge for Google executive Nigel Huddleston, who relocated from Hertfordshire to Badsey, near Evesham, last year in order to get campaigning early, will be to hold that situation.

Mr Huddleston fought off stiff competition to land the Conservative candidacy and secured it in unusual fashion after winning a US-style 'open primary' selection contest in November 2013.

Such is the Conservative confidence here that Mr Huddleston has already travelled to Downing Street to meet David Cameron, with the two having private talks last month.

But he won't have it all his own way, especially as the Liberal Democrats are fielding Councillor Margaret Rowley as their candidate.

Councillor Rowley sits on Wychavon District Council, where she has a strong support base behind her, and stood in both the 2005 and 2010 General Election contests here, getting just under 10,000 votes first time round and then nearly 12,000 five years ago.

Mid-Worcestershire is a seat of repeat candidates, with Labour putting forward Councillor Robin Lunn, who also stood in 2010, getting 7,613 votes and finishing third.

Five years on, he's a key part of the Labour group at Worcestershire County Council, where he has been outspoken on issues like education, and will expect to garner more support.

It's a five way contest this year, with UKIP standing businessman Richard Keel and the Green Party selecting activist Neil Franks.

With the Mid-Worcestershire seat home to Tory strongholds like Evesham, Droitwich and Broadway it will be a huge shock if the result is anything other than a Conservative hold in May.

But don't be surprised to see a more fragmented picture than in 2010, with the Lib Dems expected to do better than elsewhere around the UK and Mr Huddleston facing a tough task to get close to Sir Peter's majority, which he grew significantly in every General Election from 2001 onwards on the back of a perfect backdrop - a sitting Labour Government and his own personal popularity.

NIGEL HUDDLESTON (CON)

On May 7th you can choose to support me and vote Conservative and we’ll continue down the path of economic recovery - or you can risk it all by voting for another party.

More people are working today than ever before and we have the fastest growing economy in the developed world. Conservatives will continue to reduce the deficit, cut income tax, protect pensions, cap welfare, create more jobs, improve schools, increase spending on the NHS – and we’ll hold a referendum on Europe.

I got involved in politics for what I can contribute. At the age of 44 with 20 years real world business experience under my belt I believe now is the right time for me to give something back to society.

I pledge to be a responsive and visible MP. My family and I live locally, so your issues are my issues - and if you ever want to know which way I will vote on an issue, I can tell you simply: I will always choose the option that is in the best long term interests of my children.

Most people can relate to that. If you put your trust in me, I will not let you down.

NEIL FRANKS (GREEN)

Neil Franks is a 36-year old father of two, living in Droitwich. I own a small business, which specialises in sustainability consultancy.

As your next MP I would represent you, your family and all of Mid-Worcestershire. I would represent and promote our local businesses, the public sector, our farming community, the charities and social enterprises that provide employment and work to better our society.

In parliament, I would fight against tax dodging by corporations and individuals that has been allowed by the Governing Parties, who have benefitted from their donations. With fair taxation this would clear the deficit, starting paying back the debts and invest in our services & infrastructure.

I will put people before profit and fight privatisation of the NHS to restore it to being fully publicly owned and run, and oppose fracking.

Oppose the undemocratic and toxic Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the secret courts that will allow corporations to sue us for anything they feel might affect their profit margins.

I will work to protect our countryside, promote energy and food self-sufficiency, push for more social rented dwellings and a living wage that people can build a life around.

These aren't just empty promises in order to get elected. This is what the Green Party stand for and our manifesto shows this can be achieved.

MARGARET ROWLEY (LD)

I want this country to be a fair, free and open society, guided by the values of liberty, equality and community, in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. 

That is why I am a Liberal Democrat, and it is why I want to be your next MP. 

Thanks to the Liberal Democrats in Government, our economy is recovering. By sticking to the sensible and fair approach to balancing the books we can end austerity in three years time. 

We can then invest again in our public services and in the modern infrastructure that we need.

The Liberal Democrats aim to continue to build a stronger economy and a fairer society, providing the opportunity for everyone to get on in life.

You cannot have a fairer society if the economy is weak, and yet Labour want to borrow £70 bn, adding to our debt.

The Tories want to cut public services further.  The huge welfare cuts they propose mean taking £1,500 from 8m families on the lowest incomes in the country.

Only the Liberal Democrats will cut less than the Conservatives and borrow less than Labour.  Only the Liberal Democrats have a plan to build a stronger economy and a fairer society.

RICHARD KEEL (UKIP)

I am Richard Keel, and I am your UKIP candidate for Mid Worcestershire.

As had many of us in Worcestershire I had lost all trust in mainstream politicians.  Instead of just shouting at the television I decided to do something about it.

Why should I be your next MP?

I feel that we are now being governed by a metropolitan elite.  Many of them have never had a real job and no idea of real life living. They are not in touch with reality.  Unless we real people start to get into government this will only get worse.

I have been self-employed most of my life and also lived and worked in the USA for 3 years.  I have the varied experiences to represent ALL the people of Mid Worcestershire.

I am a genuine local candidate who has the vision of a better future for this great country.

With UKIP policies I can offer that.  We are the only party to be explicitly committed to shedding the constraints of the EU. 

Without them and with the financial resources released we can afford to make the changes that the LibLabCon is simply unable to make without borrowing even more money.

ROBIN LUNN (LAB)

I want to represent the people of Mid-Worcestershire as their MP, because having lived in the County for 22 years, and being an opposition county councillor for six, there is much that I want to contribute and develop.

I feel passionately that people should earn a living wage and be fairly rewarded for their hard work.

Increasing the Minimum Wage, encouraging more employers to pay the Living Wage and removing the iniquitous zero hour contracts, which give people no security, are three reforms which I would strongly support to benefit people across the whole constituency.

The railway line between Worcester and Oxford is still not at the speed or standard of many similar lines, and needs to be twin track all the way to Oxford.

This would do more to boost the county’s Prosperity than any other action. This would be my major priority.

I also want to make the provision of education decided by local elected people, and not as is currently happening by the unelected Education Funding Authority and the Education Commissioner for the West Midlands.

This change has led to uncertainty about children’s schooling and allowed schools to act unilaterally about admission ages rather than in agreement with other institutions.

With your support, I want to be an uplifting and accountable MP who provides something very different from the past.