Sir Bob Russell: Former Colchester MP to fight to win his seat back at General Election
Former Colchester MP Sir Bob Russell has confirmed he'll be standing for the upcoming General Election in June.
The Liberal Democrat served the town for 18 years before he was defeated by the Conservative candidate Will Quince in 2015.
The 71-year-old wasn't planning to put himself forward as the Liberal Democrat candidate had the Election taken place in 2020, but he has now had a change of heart following Theresa May's decision to call a snap election on June 8.
Sir Bob was knighted in 2012 for his service to his home town and became the first resident of Colchester for more than 100 years to be elected as MP when he was victorious at the 1997 General Election.
His loss in 2015 was seen as a big blow for the Liberal Democrats who had been banking on him to retain his seat.
On that occasion, Will Quince won by a majority of more than 5,000, with Sir Bob registering 13,334 votes in second place.