The Hampshire constituency is the focus of much national scrutiny as it gears up for Thursday's by-election in the wake of the resignation of Chris Huhne, its former Member of Parliament.

It's the first since the 2010 election that coalition partners the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are in direct competition as the most likely winners of a parliamentary seat.

As part of its coverage Channel 4 News organized a live debate among the four main candidates. The 15-minute debate, hosted by presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, in a packed church, aired live on Monday evening.

Minister the Revd Joth Hunt was among the audience. 'For us as a church it was great to have them here and use the venue.

'The church was renovated under the previous minister Martin Poole, and a really good job was done on it.

'It's a versatile venue, and in a sense it's available not just for the local community but for the country.'

There was wasn't time for Joth to ask a question on Monday, but he made his voice heard the previous Thursday as part of a similar - but longer - debate on the BBC 5live programme hosted by Victoria Darbyshire. Joth had been invited as a local minister.

'The questions about Chris Huhne focus on his dishonesty and integrity, and it's something I feel strongly about. I was able to make the point that whoever wins on Thursday, they are servants of this town. Chris's dishonesty has hurt the community - Chris was a great servant of the town and a lot of people here are hurting.'