A former Times Series reporter who covered Margaret Thatcher’s constituency visits to Finchley has been chosen as a parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party.

Clarence Mitchell, a former BBC reporter and spokesman for the McCann family, will stand in the Brighton constituency for a seat currently held by the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas.

Mr Mitchell worked as a news reporter at the Hendon and Finchley Times in the early 1980s, covering a series of visits from then Prime Minister and Finchley MP Margaret Thatcher.

He went on to a career at the BBC, where he covered several big stories, including the Soham murders and the death of Princess Diana.

He resigned from a government post to become a spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann in 2007 following the alleged abduction of their daughter Madeleine in Portugal.

Mr Mitchell has also previously worked with the government’s Media Monitoring Unit and PR firm Burson-Marsteller.