Sedgefield Liberal Democrats have selected Greg Stone to be their candidate for the parliamentary by-election to succeed Tony Blair. The Sedgefield Liberal Democrats website reports:
Greg is a senior Liberal Democrat Councillor and has lived in the North East since graduating from Newcastle University. Greg is 32 and currently works as an expert in regeneration including eco-friendly projects in the Sedgefield constituency. He previously worked at the University of Teesside.
Commenting, Chief Executive Chris Rennard said:
“I am delighted that Greg Stone has been selected; I am sure that he would be an outstanding MP, worthy of the trust of the people of Sedgefield.
“Many people will now want a full time dedicated local MP and Greg will be that person.
“The Liberal Democrats will be challenging Labour hard to return Greg Stone as the MP on 19 July.”
Greg Stone said:
“If elected I will be a local MP living in the constituency and working full time for the people of Sedgefield.”
Meanwhile, the UK Independence Party has selected Toby Horton, a former Conservative, to fight the seat. He was the Tories’ candidate against Tony Blair when the latter was first elected back in 1983 and ran William Hague’s constituency office in the 1990s.
9 Comments
Congratulations to Greg who will be an excellent candidate and would make a fine MP.
Good luck Greg.
Do you seriously think Greg will win?
I suspect several tonnes of bricks will decend on me for saying this but… If the situation was reversed wouldn’t we be running a campaign based on our local candidate and dissing Labours “man from Newcastle”. The areas identities are complex and many “Macams” will look quizically at a “Geordie” candidate. Look at the absurd and succesful Labour campaign against Jodie Dunn. She comitted the crime of comming from 14 miles away. Hmm
As someone who witnessed the selection meeting, let me say that Greg was the best candidate. I’d rather have a candidate who represents the party credibly and lives 40 minutes up the road than a less good one from the constituency. Labour are on a somewhat tricky wicket if they criticise Greg on this ground. After all wasn’t a certain T Blair not very local when selected?
Jodie Dunn committed the terrible crime of insulting the entire electorate in writing, AND coming from 14 miles away. I do not believe you local fetishists have selected someone from so far away from the patch. And I would certainly be interested to know the extent of this clown’s project work in the constituency.
No, Chris Paul shouldn’t worry too much about local candidates. Ater all, our former Prime Minister, whom Mr Paul appears to hold in the highest esteem, took his orders from a guy living in Washington DC. How far away is that, remind me?
“Vote Blair – Get Bush”.
Perhaps Mr Paul has some views on Mr T Dan Smith and Alderman Andrew Cunningham. The former was the public face of Labour in the North-East for more than a decade. Why did Giles Radice very nearly not win the 1973 Chester-le-Street beyelection?
1973? Good one Angus.
You cannot really have it both ways! If an opposition candidate lives 50 metres from a ward boundary you cry “not local”. If one of yours needs a fast car and a fair wind to travel from home in 50 minutes you get all ruffled if anyone points this out.
In Ealing Southall you are saying your man lives in the heart of the CLP and that he first moved there, oh, ages ago.
When did he second or most recently move there though?
Chris, remind me where Giles Radice lived when he was selected to fight the Chester-le-Street byelection. Remind me, too, what Radice’s excuse for nearly losing was. Did it not have something to do with being a public school educated Southerner with an Italian surname? His own constituents racists? Well, it just might. But it was also to do with Mr T Dan Smith and the local perception that the Labour one-party state that dominated the region was run by bullies and bribe-takers.
So, Chris. Once again, what are your views on T Dan Smith and Alderman Andrew Cunningham? Where do they stand in the Labour pantheon? And why did Ted Short suddenly abandon his political career while Labour Party Deputy Leader? Auberon Waugh once described him as “Poulson’s friend” (prompting an apology by the BBC). Was he?