Cllr Mike Giles selected as Parliamentary Candidate for Earley & Woodley
The Liberal Democrats have selected Mike Giles as their prospective parliamentary candidate for Earley and Woodley, following a vote of local party members.
Mike, a District Councillor for neighbouring Sonning Common and Cabinet Member at South Oxfordshire District Council, grew up in Berkshire. He was elected councillor in 2023, nearly doubling the Liberal Democrat vote to defeat the Conservative incumbent.
He says he is standing to fight for three priorities that matter most to residents across the constituency: tackling the cost of living, protecting and improving the local environment, and securing new community infrastructure, notably a new hospital for the area.
Simon Curtis, Chair of the Wokingham Borough Liberal Democrats, which covers most of the Earley and Woodley constituency, said:
“Reading and Wokingham Borough Liberal Democrats are delighted to have selected Mike Giles as our candidate for Earley and Woodley. He has already shown what a determined and effective campaigner he is, with a proven record of winning elections and delivering for local communities. Mike has the experience, the energy and the values which will make him an outstanding MP for this constituency, and we look forward to working with him and our Reading Lib Dem colleagues to win this seat.”
Henry Wright, Chair of Reading Liberal Democrats, added:
“I am excited that local members have selected Mike to be our candidate for Earley and Woodley, and particularly the areas of Whitley within the Reading local party area. Labour are letting us down and Mike is the person to fight for a freer, fairer Britain for all of us.”
Cllr Mike Giles said:
"It is an honour to be selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Earley and Woodley. This constituency deserves so much better than it has received from Westminster - greater investment, better public services, and a representative who will fight for every part of the area. I have been doing exactly that as a councillor, and I am ready to take that fight to Parliament. Whether it is the cost of living pressures facing local families, the environment we are leaving for the next generation, or the urgent need for a new hospital, I will be a strong and persistent voice for Earley and Woodley."
Recent local election results across Earley and Woodley point to a significant shift in the political landscape. In the May 2026 Wokingham Borough Council elections which covered nine wards in the constituency, the Liberal Democrats secured 29.3% of the vote - just two per cent behind the Conservatives. Current Earley & Woodley MP Yuan Yang’s Labour Party saw their support collapse to just 8.4%, finishing fifth. Reform finished third in the vote share, while the Greens finished fourth.
Mike added:
"These results show that the real choice in Earley and Woodley is between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. Labour and Green voters who want change should know that only the Liberal Democrats can deliver it here."
Outside politics, Mike is CEO of a national trade association, where he has campaigned for affordable access to medicines and fairer farming regulations. He has 18 years of experience across membership organisations, regulated industries and elected politics.