FORMER Bury South MP David Sumberg is going back into the political fray, but this time in Europe.

He is the third choice of the Conservative Party in their team of ten candidates for the North West of England.

Under new rules for the European Parliament elections, the 1999 poll will be the first national vote in Britain to be conducted by proportional representation.

Votes will be for parties rather than individuals, and seats will be divided up depending on the proportion of votes each party gets. Ten Euro MPs will be chosen for the North West, and each main party will nominate ten candidates in order of preference.

Mr Sumberg was voted in at number three at a meeting of the party's members in Bolton on Saturday. If the party gains three seats out of the ten in the North West he will become an MEP.

Topping the list is Lord Inglewood, with Mr Sumberg's former colleague in the House of Commons, Robert Atkins, placed second.

Pundits say the former Bury South man, deposed by Labour's Ivan Lewis last May after nearly 14 years, has a good chance of getting a seat in Strasbourg next year. "I never take anything for granted," said Mr Sumberg this week. "I will fight hard for myself, for the party's team, because that's the only way to fight."

Since May, Mr Sumberg has been involved in a company which organises seminars about Parliament and in the Anglo-Israel Association.

Traditionally on the right of the Tory Party, he was considered on the Euro-sceptic wing when an MP, but he says he is backing the party line all the way in the European election.

"I don't really care what the press call it, but I am backing the party line on the single currency," he said.

"We are not doing anything for the life of this Parliament, and a wait-and-see policy is the best way forward for something that has such massive economic and constitutional changes." Mr Sumberg became MP for the then new constituency of Bury South in 1983 and served until his defeat last year.

He says he will fight this election in the same way he fought the four General Elections he faced in Bury South.

"I don't know what my chances are of begin elected, but you can never be sure of anything in politics," he said. "I never expected to be returned in 1992, but I was."

One thing he will miss about the new system is the breaking of the link between MEP and constituency - one of the biggest criticisms of the new electoral system.

"It was wonderful to be part of Bury, and the destruction of that constituency link is appalling. This system has been forced upon us by the Labour Government."

He said the North West was a big area, stretching from Cumbria all the way to Cheshire.

Another familiar name on the list is that of Hollins businessman David Newns, who stood in the Greater Manchester West seat in the 1994 Euro Election. He was beaten by current MEP Gary Titley by nearly 60,000 votes.

Mr Newns is sixth on the Tory list, which he describes as "an interesting position".

"I think we have a decent chance up to fifth place, but after that it does get interesting," he said.

Mr Newns is a senior executive in a music firm and lives on the site of the former Hollins Conservative Club in Hollins Lane. He travels extensively in Europe and throughout the world as part of his job.

The Tories are the only party to have chosen candidates in a mass poll of members. More than 500, from every constituency in the region, took part.

Labour are currently polling members for candidates who will be listed and given an order of preference by the party's national ruling body.

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