European election candidates revealed - with ousted UKIP county leader bidding for seat

Nine parties will vie for votes for the East Midlands seats in the European Parliament on May 22 including ‘An independence from Europe’ - a new party set up by West Midlands MEP Mike Nattrass, UKIP’s former deputy leader.

That party is putting forward five candidates for the May ballot, including Chris Pain, his mother Val Pain and Boston eurosceptic Carl Mason.

Coun Pain was kicked out of UKIP by party bosses in a move that split the party locally after its success in last May’s county council elections and cost it its position as official opposition at County Hall.

He told The Standard that the party’s candidates are people who are dissatisfied with Nigel Farage’s leadership and feels that UKIP could be heading for a pact with the Conservatives.

He did not comment on whether he thinks the appearance of his party on the ballot paper will anger UKIP, but said he feel his new party offers a clear choice to get out of the EU as well as a host of other policies.

Locally he is lobbying for extra cash to fix the county’s roads and wants to see the M11 extended through Lincolnshire, taking it from Cambridge to the Humber.

He said: “We are looking for two seats. I think the Liberal vote is going to go away.

“We have got a full programme in 26 policy areas.”

He was a long standing member of UKIP while his mum Val has also been standing in elections since 2005.

He added: “People can call me but I have always called a spade a spade and never told anybody anything different to what I believe to get votes.”

UKIP is widely predicted to do well in May, with party leader Nigel Farage predicting a ‘political’ earthquake predicting a political ‘earthquake’ when he spoke in Wyberton last year. The party took the headlines when it scooped five of Boston’s seven seats at last year’s county council elections but it remains to be seen if An Independence From Europe or the eurosceptic ‘Harmony Party’ will split their vote in this regional ballot.

The region has five seats in the European Parliament, currently held by Bill Newton-Dunn (Lib Dem), Emma McClarkin (Con), Roger Helmer (UKIP), Derek Clark (UKIP) and Glenis Willmott (Lab). Derek Clark is standing down at this election.

The ballot works with each party putting forward a list of candidates in order, with seats given to parties out in proportion to the votes they won, starting from the top of the list. Eg 20 per cent of the vote earns one seat, handed to the person at the top of that party’s list.

The parliament is the directly elected part of the European Union, working with the European Commission – one appointed ‘commissioner’ from each country headed by Jose Manuel Barroso – and the European Council, which is the heads of state/Government for each country led by President Herman Van Rompuy and foreign minister Catherine Ashton.

The candidate list in full and in order:

*An Independence From Europe: 1- Chris Pain, 2- Val Pain, 3- Alan Jesson, 4- John Beaver, 5- Carl Mason

*British National Party: 1- Catherine Duffy, 2- Robert West, 3- Bob Brindley, 4- Geoffrey Dickens, 5- Paul Hilliard

*Conservative Party: 1- Emma McClarkin, 2- Andrew Lewer, 3- Rupert Matthews, 4- Stephen Castens, 5- Brendan Clarke-Smith

*English Democrats: 1- Kevin Sills, 2- David Wickham, 3- John Dowie, 4- Oliver Healey, 5- Terry Spencer

*Green Party: 1- Kat Boettge, 2- Sue Mallender, 3- Richard Mallender, 4- Peter Allen, 5- Simon Hales

*Harmony Party: 1- Steve Ward

*Labour Party: 1- Glenis Willmott, 2- Rory Palmer, 3- Linda Woodings, 4- Khalid Hadadi, 5- Nick Brooks

*Liberal Democrats: 1- Bill Newton-Dunn, 2- Issan Ul-Haque Ghazni, 3- Phil Knowles, 4- George Smid, 5- Deborah Newton-Cook

*UK Independence Party (UKIP): 1- Roger Helmer, 2- Margot Parker, 3-Jonathan Bullock, 4- Nigel Wickens, 5- Barry Mahoney.