More political earthquakes? We interview all general election candidates for Sleaford and North Hykeham

We start off with Sally Chadd, standing for UKIP. A Cambridge graduate with a Masters degree in economics, Mrs Chadd was born into a farming family at North Muskham, Nottinghamshire. Her father flew from RAF Coningsby in the Second World War and her mother’s family came from Brant Broughton.

She worked at the London Stock Exchange and in higher education. She has stood for election three times, for the Conservatives, the Referendum Party and UKIP.

Mrs Chadd said the only real anti-Europe party is UKIP. She said: “We produced a political earthquake and we could do it again. We should look forward to a bright and prosperous future untrammelled by EU bureaucracy.”

She said the EU had driven much of Britain’s manufacturing industry away with assets, patents and production sold off to other countries, impoverishing the UK.

Out of Europe, she believed they could pay farmers more in subsidies with high grade land ring fenced for food production while poorer land could be developed.

“We need to take back some governance of Britain,” she said, adding: “The EU has introduced massive immigration and we need to protect our borders from that.

“Under the Tories we have had horrific austerity which is quite unnecessary. Imagine what it would be like to pay for our senior citizens’ social care without them having to sell their houses and bankrupt their children. Imagine being able to pay our workers a living wage instead of the EU-designed zero-hours slavery contracts. Imagine retiring at 60.”

On climate change, she argued: “We should not be shooting ourselves in the foot by removing cheaper energy sources. If we do have nuclear power projects it should be for the benefit of the British labour force.”

Also standing for Sleaford and North Hykeham: Jim Clarke (Labour), Paul Coyne (Independent), Caroline Johnson (Conservative), Fiona McKenna (Green) and Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats).