One of the politicians aspiring to be elected in today's UK election is a man of Maltese descent, Mark Formosa, whose father left Malta in the 1960s and married an English woman.

Mr Formosa is contesting on the Conservative Party's ticket in Taunton Deane, a district that is closely battled by the Conservative and Liberal-Democrat parties, with one of the most divisive issues being hunting.

Mr Formosa, whose grandmother still lives in Msida, is an active local councillor who is contesting the election for the second time. In 2005 he contested North Cornwall and cut the Lib-Dem majority of 10,000 by nearly 7,000 votes, according to his website.

To win, he must beat stiff competition from Liberal-Democrat candidate and outgoing MP Jeremy Browne.

So has his Maltese blood affected his stands on the issues?

In an interview with The Guardian, Mr Formosa talks about his discomfort with EU membership and suggests that the country should "renegotiate the terms of membership" to reclaim certain powers and "reassert our status as a sovereign, self-governing nation state".

He also says abortion is a matter of individual conscience, but stresses that he believes in halving the upper limit from 24 weeks to 12 weeks because premature babies born at 24 weeks can survive.

"I am also not comfortable that abortion can be seen as a method of contraception, although, of course, there are always exceptional cases."

On his website, www.markformosa.com, Mr Formosa is described as a keen angler who enjoys walking country paths and going to the cinema to unwind and relax.

He recently had to take a break in campaigning because his mother was seriously ill.

Born in Cornwall in 1977, he lives in North Curry, Somerset. He entered politics in 2002 and was elected as a local councillor.

Mr Formosa was unavailable for comment yesterday.