A former Swiss Cottage councillor has made a return to elected political life as chairman of the Hampstead & Kilburn Conservatives.

Don Williams lost his seat to Labour in the 2018 elections having held his seat for 16 years.

However on March 16 he was elected as the first chairman of the H&K Conservatives from a Commonwealth background.

He is also standing for South Hampstead in the upcoming elections on May 6.

In a campaign by his team, led by fellow Conservatives Marx de Morais and Valeriy Votinov, Mr Williams prevailed over Hannah David, who had been proposed by opposition leader Cllr Oliver Cooper.

His agent, David Douglas MBE, said: "This is the first contested election in a generation, the first I've seen since starting working for the party in 1987."

Mr Williams said: “I am honoured to be chosen by our local Conservative Association to be chairman – very honoured indeed."

“I want us to win and win again and will work hard to build a vibrant, successful winning team.”

Mr de Morais said he backed Mr Williams "because he brings the experience we need in these difficult times without being averse to new ideas".