BASINGSTOKE MP Andrew Hunter is preparing to fight an election in Northern Ireland.

As the Government announced yesterday that elections for the Northern Ireland Parliament would be held on November 26, Mr Hunter (pictured above) was making preparations to fly to Ulster to wage a four-week election campaign.

Mr Hunter has been adopted as the candidate for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - headed by The Rev Ian Paisley - for the Lagan Valley constituency.

"I shall be going over to Northern Ireland later this week for a planning campaign meeting," Mr Hunter told The Basingstoke Extra.

"We haven't actually planned much so far. But it will be business as usual in Basingstoke - I will not be cancelling any of my engagements here. I shall be popping backwards and forwards over the next month, spending two or three days every week in Ulster - maybe more towards the end.

"I am glad it's happening. For everyone involved, the uncertainty has always been a little unsettling. I'm relieved we are now going to have an election. The announcement did not come as a surprise as I had been tipped off by those involved in the talks that it was likely."

Mr Hunter's target constituency is centred on the town of Lisburn, about 15 miles south of Belfast.

"The Lagan constituency returns six members - last time it was four Unionists and two Nationalists or Republicans," said Mr Hunter. "The Unionists were two Ulster Unionists, one DUP and one independent unionist. The independent unionist is not standing this time. My hope is that I can just squeeze in by taking that place. There will be a total of six or seven Unionists standing in the constituency."

It was exactly a year ago that Mr Hunter announced he would be retiring as MP for Basingstoke at the next general election and, in the meantime, would be standing for the Northern Ireland Parliament.

Within days of his announcement, the Northern Ireland Parliament was dissolved by the Government after the administrative head of Sinn Fein in the power-sharing government was charged with possessing documents likely to be of use to terrorists.