The Conservative Party in the North West has picked its eight candidates for the European Parliamentary Elections in May 2014. This follows a party ballot of Conservative Party members to rank candidates for the region which comprises Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.
The current Conservative Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Jacqueline Foster and Sajjad Karim, will be numbers one and two on the party's list for the North West region. Sir Robert Atkins MEP will be retiring in 2014. Electors in European elections choose a political party, rather individuals, to vote for. MEPs are then elected from different parties based on the proportion of the vote received by that party across the region.
In the North West, eight MEPs will be elected with Jacqueline Foster and Sajjad Karim being joined by six other Conservative candidates, Kevin Beaty, Deborah Dunleavy, Joe Barker, Daniel Hamilton, Chris Whiteside and James Walsh, to contest the elections.
Kevin has a farm in Cumbria with 300 Jersey cows and a green waste composting business. He is also an Eden councillor.
Deborah is a successful business woman and proven campaigner with “Eurosceptic” views. She wants to go to the European Parliament to help repatriate vital powers back to the UK in order to regain control of our justice system and to put British interests first in all we do. Some of Deborah’s experience:
- Former director of a financial services business with 20+ years experience
- Nominated for female Independent Financial Advisor of the year
- Parliamentary candidate in the 2005 and 2010 general elections
- Former Patient & Public Involvement Director for the Department of Health, campaigning for a safer NHS
- Former Director for Business with Peel Policy Forum - the North West's only independent think tank
- North West lead for the Conservative Party's Women2Win project - campaigning for more women in parliament
Joe Barker was born and bred in Lancashire and remains a vocal local activist. At 24, he is one of the youngest European Parliamentary Candidates in the country.
Educated at University College, Durham, Joe was President of Durham University Conservative Association and has been a long-standing member of the Conservative Party since the age of 15. After graduating from The College of Law in Manchester, Joe is training as a lawyer in a leading law firm.
Joe stood in the 2013 Lancashire County Council elections, and was part of the Hope Not Hate campaign which saw the BNP lose their last and only County Council seat in the whole country. He looks forward to defeating Nick Griffin as the country's only BNP MEP in the North West.
Joe's international experience includes studying in the United States with the Fulbright Commission and volunteering on a humanitarian project in Togo, West Africa.
Daniel's family live in Manchester and he is a partner in one of Europe's largest regulatory and government relations firm.
Chairman of the Cumbria Area Conservatives, Chris has been a district councillor, group leader and portfolio holder in the county.
James is from Bolton and since 2009 has been a senior policy adviser on EU and International Affairs for the National Association of Pension Funds.
Prior to joining the NAPF, James was Public Policy Manager for ASDA Stores Ltd and Head of Public Affairs at the Institute of Directors.
Earlier in his career he held a series of positions in the Conservative Research Department, serving as Head of Economic Section and then as Deputy Director. He is a former Director of the Conservative Policy Forum and has worked with political leaders in Namibia, Sri Lanka and Belarus.
CONTACT US
If you would like to speak to a member of the team or if you have a general query, please contact us at:
a: European Elections 2014, NWCCC, 14b Wynford Square, West Ashton Street, Salford, M50 2SN
t: 0161 736 6571