SIX sitting East Lancashire MPs have confirmed they will stand for election on May 7.

Only Blackburn will not have the 2010 general election victor standing again after Jack Straw retired.

Gordon Birtwistle in Burnley, Graham Jones in Hyndburn, Nigel Evans in Ribble Valley, Jake Berry in Rossendale and Darwen, Andrew Stephenson in Pendle, and Lindsay Hoyle in Chorley all had their nominations confirmed last week.

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The Conservatives, Labour Liberal Democrats and the UK Independence Party (UKIP) are standing in all seven seats. The Greens are standing in six but not Blackburn which just has four candidates according to the official notices of candidates published on Friday.

The Blackburn candidates are Bob Eastwood, Conservative; Kate Hollern, Labour; Gordon Lishman, Liberal Democrat; and Dayle Taylor, UKIP.

 

In 2010, Jack Straw won the seat for Labour from the Conservatives by 9,856 votes.

The Burnley candidates are Gordon Birtwistle, Liberal Democrat; Sarah Cockburn-Price, Conservative; Tom Commis, UKIP; Julie Cooper, Labour; and Mike Hargeaves, Green.

In 2010, Gordon Birtwistle won for the Liberal Democrats by 1,818 votes from Labour.

The Hyndburn candidates are: Janet Brown, UKIP; Alison Firth Alison, Liberal Democrat; Kerry Gormley, Green; Kevin Horkin, Conservative; and Graham Jones, Labour.

In 2010, Mr Jones won for Labour by 3,090 votes from the Conservatives.

The Ribble Valley candidates are: Grace Astley, Independent; David Brass, Independent; Nigel Evans, Conservative; David Hinder, Labour; Tony Johnson, Independent Political Alliance Party; Shirley Parkinson, UKIP; Jackie Pearcey, Liberal Democrat; and Graham Sowter, Green.

In 2010, Mr Evans won for the Conservatives by 14.769 votes from Labour.

The Rossendale and Darwen candidates are: Afzal Anwar, Liberal Democrat; Clive Balchin, UKIP; Jake Berry, Conservative; Shaun Hargreaves The Northern Party; Karen Pollard-Rylance, Green; Kevin Scranage, Independent; Will Straw, Labour; and Simon Thomas Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

In 2010, Mr Berry won for the Conservatives by 4,493 votes from Labour.

The Pendle candidates are: Azhar Ali, Labour; Laura Fisk, Green; Graham Roach, Liberal Democrat; Andrew Stephenson; and Mick Waddington, UKIP.

In 2010, Mr Stephenson won for the Conservatives by 3,585 votes from Labour.

The Chorley candidates are: Stephen Fenn, Liberal Democrat; Lindsay Hoyle, Labour; Rob Loughenbury, Conservative; Adrian Maudsley, Independent; Mark Smith, UKIP; and Alistair Straw, Green.

In 2010, Mr Hoyle won for Labour by 2,593 votes from the Conservatives.