ESther Rantzen is not the only Jewish prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) for Luton.
London barrister Jeremy Brier is also standing — albeit for the Conservatives, and further up the road. Mr Brier, 28, is the Conservative PPC for Luton North, where he has been campaigning for the past two years.

So what does Mr Brier, a former World Debating Champion, make of Esther Rantzen’s decision to stand for the seat of Luton South in the wake of revelations about the outgoing Labour MP Margaret Moran’s expenses claims?
He tells People: “While I welcome Esther Rantzen’s continuing interest in Luton, it might be misplaced. The discredited MP for Luton South, Margaret Moran, has already stood down — so if Esther wants to campaign against expenses, why doesn’t she go and stand against a genuine wrongdoer like Hazel Blears or Jacqui Smith? We have a very good Conservative PPC in Luton South. The result of Esther standing could be to split the anti-Labour vote and actually end up letting Gordon Brown off the hook.”

Mr Brier, who attended the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School in Hertfordshire, where he was school captain before going on to gain a double first in English at Cambridge University, has been involved in politics for the past seven years.

He says: “At a time when people are completely fed up of politicians that they think are all the same, I’m hoping to show the voters that there are still people of genuine honesty, commitment and integrity who want to go into public life. Luton is not a naturally Conservative town and I am certainly fighting against the incumbent as an underdog.

“But there is an overwhelming sense that after 12 years of Labour, people want to see change.” That said, he admits the seat “is by no means in the bag”.

A commercial barrister, Mr Brier is based at Essex Court Chambers. He regularly writes speeches for MPs.