A BASINGSTOKE antiques dealer has been named by UKIP as their candidate to challenge for MP Maria Miller’s seat in the 2015 General Election.

Alan Stone, 48, the owner of Squirrels Collectors’ Centre, in New Road, was one of two candidates vying for the UKIP ticket.

The father-of-four, who grew up in the borough and studied at Queen Mary’s College, was selected at a party husting event at the Ex-Services Club.

Party members favoured Mr Stone over his UKIP colleague, ex-Conservative and the borough’s former deputy mayor, Phil Heath.

Mr Stone is UKIP’s Basingstoke branch chairman, and founded the local branch three years ago.

He said: “I am truly honoured to be selected to stand as Basingstoke’s UKIP parliamentary candidate, and if elected will spend a much greater amount of time in the town, serving our town, than our current MP.

“MPs who spend most of their time in Westminster lose touch with what is real, and Basingstoke needs a lot of hard work to get people back to work and the economy working again.”

He added: “I feel that as a local businessman, I can work at a national level to improve Basingstoke’s position in the country.”

Conservative Mrs Miller, who is also Culture Secretary in the Coalition Government, has held the Basingstoke seat since 2005.