General Election 2017: More candidates announced for Gedling and Bassetlaw

carolyn,abbott,conservative,gedling,annette,simpson,bassetlaw
Carolyn Abbott is the Conservative candidate for Gedling and Annette Simpson is the Conservative candidate for Bassetlaw

The Conservative party has announced who will challenge the Labour-held seats of Gedling and Bassetlaw in the June 8 General Election.

Carolyn Abbott has been re-selected as the candidate for Gedling and Annette Simpson has been selected to fight for Bassetlaw.

Labour MP Vernon Coaker currently holds the Gedling seat

Mrs Abbott ran for the seat in 2015 but lost out to Labour MP Vernon Coaker who has held the seat since 1997.

Mrs Abbott runs a wrought iron manufacturing business with her husband and has previously worked in the financial sector.

She said: “I have a track record of campaigning in the constituency and want to promote economic regeneration to boost our high streets in Arnold, Carlton and Mapperley.”

Vernon Coaker announced his intention to run for the Gedling seat again last month and said: “I am proud to announce that I will be standing again in Gedling.

“It has been a huge honour to represent Gedling as a Labour MP over the last twenty years.

“I will be standing on my record locally as a community-focused MP who has worked hard in every part of Gedling.”

Lee Waters said he was ‘honoured’ to be reselected as the UKIP candidate to contest Gedling on Twitter.

John_Mann
Labour MP John Mann currently holds the seat for Bassetlaw

Elsewhere, Annette Simpson will fight for the Bassetlaw seat held by Labour MP John Mann since 2001.

Ms Simpson lives in Beckingham and is a Bassetlaw district councillor, having previously been in the print sector as a manager and working in the civil service.

She said: “I am thrilled to have been chosen as Conservative candidate for Bassetlaw and I am grateful to the local Conservative Association for giving me the opportunity.

“I am particularly keen to boost aspiration ensuring youngsters from Retford and Worksop, and elsewhere in the constituency, are given all the tools they need to have successful careers and lives.

“This election in Bassetlaw also has a very important national dimension.”

Leon Duveen is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Bassetlaw, the only other candidate announced for that constituency so far.

He said: “I have lived in Worksop for over 20 years and brought up three children here.

“I have seen it through good times and bad times and still think it is a good place to live; yes there are problems but there are in all small towns.

“Now my children are grown up I have the time to serve my community which is why I am spending much of my spare time as a campaigner for the local Lib Dems.”