The Corby by-election was triggered by the resignation in August of sitting
Conservative MP Louise Mensch.
Mrs Mensch, who won the seat at the 2010 general election, announced she
was standing down for family reasons.
The by-election will take place on 15 November to tie in with the police and
crime commissioner elections.
The candidates are:
- DAVID LAURENCE BISHOP - Elvis Loves Pets Party
- CHRISTINE EMMETT - Conservative
- IAN FRANCIS GILLMAN - Independent
- JILL HOPE - Liberal Democrats
- JONATHAN HORNETT - Green Party
- DR ROHEN KAPUR - Young People's Party
- ADAM LOTUN - Independent
- MR MOZZARELLA - Independent
- MARGOT PARKER - UK Independence Party
- PETER REYNOLDS - CLEAR Cannabis Law Reform
- GORDON RIDDELL - British National Party
- ANDY SAWFORD - Labour Co-op
- CHRISTOPHER SCOTTON - United People's Party
- DAVID WICKHAM - English Democrat
more about each of these candidates below.
Elvis Loves Pets Party candidate
David Bishop is a retired painter and decorator,
who is also a poet and musician.
He said that if elected he would call upon David Cameron to
set up an inquiry
into British vets' fees, which he believes are too
high for many pet owners in the
Corby constituency.
"I would also like to ban air guns to protect pets and
wildlife and I would like to
bring back the dog licence to curb
irresponsible dog owners," he added.
"Finally, if MP Nadine Dorries eats live insects on I'm a
Celebrity Get Me Out of Here,
I would like to see her prosecuted by the
RSPCA when she gets back home, because
the Elvis Loves Pets Party
believes that eating live creatures on television is not
entertainment
but animal cruelty."
Christine Emmett accepts she faces a battle to retain the seat for the Tories
Christine Emmett is a businesswoman who runs a holiday lettings business and
has worked for Marks and Spencer and the Channel Tunnel.
She accepts she faces a battle to retain the seat for the
Conservatives.
"Yes, things are tough but we're doing the right thing,"
she said.
"We're cutting the deficit, we're keeping interest rates
down, so people have
low mortgages but we need to work on investment and
get more people to
invest in Corby.
"We need to question if we're getting our youth trained for
the right jobs.
Last year we got 100 people coming out of Corby colleges
with hair
dressing qualifications but there were only six vacancies.
It's really important
people train for the jobs we have here."
Independent candidate Ian Francis Gillman, in an interview with
BBC Radio Northampton,
said he wishes to keep the pound and protect the
City of London "from voracious
attack from European bureaucrats".
"I am standing to support the constitutional monarchy of
Britain, a free judiciary.
We must judge ourselves, not allow foreign
courts to judge us," he said.
If elected, he wishes to protect Corby's library service from cuts and the
constituency's allotments from development.
He added: "We need to keep strategic gaps between towns and
cities, for
example Raunds and Stanwick are becoming joined gradually
and we are l
osing the countryside, the green belt, in between."
Jill Hope believes the seat needs "a real campaigner"
Jill Hope, 60, is married with four children and two grandchildren, and works as a
local business banker in Corby and Kettering.
She said: "I'm standing to be the MP for Corby and East
Northants because
the seat needs a real campaigner; someone with a
history of taking up causes
and winning. "Corby has the real problem of both older long-term
unemployed people
and a high proportion of young unemployed, living in
families where they are second
generation unemployed. East Northants
also has unemployment issues, but here the
issue is isolation and lack
of access to work more than anything else.
"The Lib Dems have made this coalition government fairer, in a
way that would
never have happened if the Conservatives were governing
alone."
Green Party candidate Jonathan Hornett wants more wind farms
Jonathan Hornett, who lives in Wellingborough and runs his own
gardening company,
has been selected to fight the seat for the Green
Party.
Mr Hornett said: "I'm standing to give the people of Corby
and East Northamptonshire
the opportunity to choose a positive
candidate.
"The Green Party is the only alternative to cuts, climate change and social injustice.
"Locally we want more wind farms and public services; and no
more housing
developments, roads, warehouses or nuclear waste. I am
standing to make
Corby and East Northants fairer, safer, cleaner and
greener - I want to represent you."
Dr Rohen Kapur advocates a new tax system
Dr Rohen Kapur, 42, is a qualified doctor who has worked in the NHS but has taken
early retirement due to health issues.
His party advocates a new tax system based on the rental
value of land, and the abolition
of income tax and VAT, which he claims
would maintain services and boost the economy.
He is against wind farms and would like to see a new hospital or health centre open 24 hours
a day in the Corby area.
Dr Kapur said immigration from Eastern Europe was a concern
in the constituency.
"How I would sort this out is a little bit more
complicated but I would do my best," he said.
Adam Lotun will be campaigning heavily on disability issues
A 49-year-old father of three,
Adam Lotun
has been involved in disabled rights and
politics since 1990 and will
be campaigning heavily on these issues, particularly on
"fit for work"
assessments carried out for the government.
"One of the major drivers for me personally is that I can no
longer stand by silently and
see some of the most vulnerable members of
our society dismissed and silenced by this
current administration," said
Mr Lotun, who believes the tests for people on disability
allowances
have led to suicides.
Mr Lotun, a disability consultant who is disabled himself, said he was not standing
solely on disability issues.
Among the policies in his manifesto are a "living wage" for
all workers, increased
recycling and the re-nationalisation of public
transport.
Mr Mozzarella is a supporter of the Don't Cook Party
Independent candidate
Mr Mozzarella, a professional takeaway chef, is standing as a
candidate affiliated to the Don't Cook Party.
He said as well as being a chef he is "also a politician,
ready to prove myself as
MP for the friendliest town in the world -
Corby. Why?
"Me and my fellow takeaway chefs of Great Britain is angry.
We is slavin' away in
hot kitchens up and down the country ready to
deliver your dinner, and yet many
many people are trying to cook for
themselves.
"Why you want to waste your time cooking these '15 minute
meals' which actually
take two hours, and tastes no good, when you could
be sitting down, 'avin' a chat,
or watching the telly?"
Margot Parker believes politicians must regain the respect of the public
Businesswoman
Margot Parker
became involved in politics in 2009 in frustration at what
she saw as a
"raft of anti-business regulation from Brussels" and the "government's
need to
micro-manage every aspect" of our lives.
A mother-of-two and a grandmother-of-one, Mrs Parker said she
believes the country
must have politicians who can regain the respect
of the British people.
She believes the biggest problem facing Corby is youth
unemployment, and has been
critical of the town's Labour council over
its £12m overspend on The Cube civic building.
"It looks like we won't pay the debt off until 2061," she said. "We would all be dead by then."
Peter Reynolds is campaigning for the legalisation of cannabis
Peter Reynolds was elected leader of CLEAR, a single-issue party that seeks to
end the prohibition of cannabis, in February 2011.
"One thing voters can be certain of is that if they vote for the main parties absolutely
nothing will change," he said.
"The cannabis issue is an excellent example of how the main
parties refuse to listen
to public opinion, refuse to base policy on
evidence and instead bend to pressure
from the tabloid press and vested
interests such as the alcohol industry.
"A regulated cannabis market would get the dealers off the
streets, better protect children,
enable access to safe and effective
medicine, create tens of thousands of new jobs and
boost the UK economy
by up to £9.3bn per annum."
Gordon Riddell said he was concerned about a lack of jobs for young people
Gordon Riddell has lived in Corby since 1974 and has previously stood for the
BNP in the town at borough and county council elections.
Mr Riddell, who works for a food manufacturer, said: "I am
passionate about local jobs
and housing for local people and I am very
concerned about the lack of opportunities in
the area for young workers
and the continuing loss of jobs in the Corby area.
"I am also very concerned about the lack of care for our
elderly and the services
provided for them. I am also opposed to the
constant destruction of our countryside
wish to see our farmers and
fishermen given a fair chance from the constant ridiculous
EU laws and
rulings."
At national level, the BNP's policies include ending the
involvement of British troops
in the Afghanistan war, halting
immigration, deporting illegal immigrants and withdrawing
from the
European Union.
Andy Sawford said he would be working hard to win back voters' trust for Labour
Andy Sawford, son of former Kettering MP Phil Sawford, is standing for both Labour
and the Co-operative Party.
He said winning the seat back for Labour would be tough, but
that the party would be
"knocking on every door" to win back voters'
trust.
"I didn't just arrive here for this election - I'm a
Northamptonshire lad and can trace
my roots in East Northants back at
least eight generations," he said.
"I've seen how two years of Tory policies from this
out-of-touch government are
hitting local families and businesses hard.
I'll work hard to bring new investment and jobs
to this area -
particularly for young people and I'll fight tooth and nail to protect
the vital
services that people in Corby and East Northamptonshire rely
on."
Christopher Scotton says tackling unemployment in Corby will be a priority
Christopher Scotton,
24, describes himself as a young working-class man who
has struggled
with periods of unemployment since leaving school and has only
recently
found a job he enjoys.
Tackling unemployment in Corby is one of his key campaign pledges, along with
promoting tourism and regeneration in the town.
The United People's Party describes itself as a
"non-xenophobic" Liberal Nationalist
party whose policies include
promoting industry, the armed forces and international
co-operation.
Mr Scotton was chosen as its East Midlands regional organiser in September 2011.
David Wickham wants to reverse the decline in manufacturing in Corby
David Wickham, a 43-year-old father-of-four, has lived in Corby for many years and
has worked in food manufacturing for the last two decades.
"David is very aware of Corby's proud manufacturing history
and would like to help in
reversing the decline," said an English
Democrats spokesman.
Mr Wickham supports ending "mass immigration" into Britain
and wants an
immediate referendum on membership of the European Union.
He is calling for England to have its own parliament and government.
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