“It’s an honour to be selected for as the candidate for Runcorn and Helsby.

Full statement

We need someone to stand up for our area. Year after year, council tax has gone up. More pressure on household bills. And what are we getting for it?

“Our roads are worse than ever. Our green spaces are under threat and we now have to pay to get our green bin collected.

“Having watched on as our area was treated as second best under a Labour council for years.

“Enough is enough.

“I’m not really interested in national politics. I just want to get stuff done for our area. So we get a fair deal. Get our roads fixed. And protect our green spaces.

“Knocking on doors, I’ve been appalled at the impact this awful Government is having.

“A 95 year old pensioner in Helsby told me she had to turn off the heating and wrap herself up in blankets after Labour’s Winter Fuel cuts meant she could no longer afford to keep the heating on.”

“Farmers in Alvanley have told me how they’ve been pushed to the brink as their children face being saddled with a tax bill they have no way of paying.”

“And small business after small business have told me how they’re treading water, struggling to keep afloat, with no idea how they’ll pay the higher taxes levied on them in Rachel Reeves’ budget.”

“Politicians like Reform don’t care about our area. They’re only interested in national politics. Forgetting the local issues and the people as they play politics.

“At this by-election, I’ll be standing up to Starmer’s Government for the pensioners that have had their heating taken from them. For our small businesses, facing higher bills. And for our farmers, faced with losing their farms.

“But more than anything. I’m standing to save our green spaces.