The Conservative candidate for Chipping Barnet believes people should vote for her “track record” of campaigning for local issues, as well as the Conservatives’ ability to maintain a “strong economy”.

Theresa Villiers served as an MEP for London from 1999 to 2005, when she succeeded Sydney Chapman as MP for Chipping Barnet.

The former barrister believes it is important to ensure a deal for the UK in Brexit negotiations that will help the country’s economy strengthen, while listening to both Remain and Leave voters from the constituency.

She said: “I want a UK that’s outward looking, that’s a global trading nation and that has a close relationship with its European neighbours but one that’s based on trading cooperation, not the political structures that come with EU membership.”

Ms Villiers also believes a second referendum would ask the same question again, and while we should respect the original vote we should not “pull up the drawbridge.”

With regards local issues, Ms Villiers has campaigned against “overdevelopment”, especially in green spaces, and believes we should seek well-placed developments that will not over-pressurise the infrastructure.

She said: “It’s about trying to support the right houses in the right places, but also backing residents’ campaigns where something amounts to an overdevelopment.”

Ms Villiers has also campaigned against “completely unacceptable” studio flats in Barnet House and believes the role of an MP is to work with developers and the council to ensure developments are “in tune” with the surrounding neighbourhood.

Ms Villiers believes national and local priorities “are bound up” as securing prosperity for Barnet, including “appropriate” resources for schools, the NHS and infrastructure from a strong economy.

Ms Villiers hopes voters will see her 12 years as MP and her “track record”.

She said: “I have a strong track record of working hard and effectively on the issues that matter to people – supporting the local NHS, saving bus networks, improving infrastructure, protecting green spaces, opposing overdevelopment, and long list of others.”