First strike!

The England First Party is vowing to battle in the Heysham South by-election with robust views on immigration and home rule for England.

Paul Bamford, a politics student at Lancaster University, is urging voters to back him in a bid to start building a branch in the area.

But Ian Barker, leader of Lancaster City Council, says it is disturbing that a group he describes as 'nasties' has shown its face in the area.

He told the Citizen: "The council has been trying to make sure we co-operate with all the democratic parties to fight racism and we hope the voters of Heysham will reject extremism."

He says the England First Party's stance on local issues is 'irrelevant'.

"It is a cheap stunt and is typical of right wing parties. They pick up the concerns of local people and then blame them on people with ethnic backgrounds," he adds.

The by-election was called after Morecambe Bay Independent member Shirley Reid stepped down - and now The England First Party say they are here to give the people of Heysham something 'different'.

"People have been let down by the conventional parties in the area and so we are offering something different. People are concerned about Europe and the Euro and the number of people from the Third World that are pouring into our country," says its chairman Mark Cotterill.

"We are concerned that our own land is being taken over and want England to be separated from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"Although this does not directly affect Heysham, it will do in the future and we think the people of Heysham will agree with us."

He acknowledges that the party may be called 'racists' but says comments like that would be 'like water off a duck's back'.

Other candidates standing in the election, which will take place on, February 26, are - Kenneth Brown (Conservative), Darren Keith Clifford (Labour) Christopher Michael Green-all (Morecambe Bay Ind), Terence William Haldren Taylor (Lib Dem) and Ashley Toms (Green Party).