UKIP General Election line-up sorted for Black Country seats
UKIP has confirmed the candidates who will fight seats across the Black Country at the General Election.
Dudley councillor Star Anderton will represent the party in the West Bromwich West seat after being chosen yesterday by the UKIP Sandwell branch.
The Coseley East councillor will be competing for the seat against current MP Adrian Bailey of the Labour Party. The Conservative party is set to announce its candidate in the coming days.
Councillor Anderton said: "I am very thrilled that the branch decided that they wanted me. When I went to see them on Wednesday night they were very professional.
"They have started raising campaign funds and getting information out. It will be a mad few weeks but it will be enjoyable."
Mr Bailey enjoys a big majority in the seat and received 7,742 votes, although UKIP came second in the 2015 poll.
The party has also confirmed its candidates to fight the three Wolverhampton Parliamentary seats at the snap election..
Barry Hodgson is to stand in Wolverhampton South East, having finished third there in 2015 with 20.3 per cent of the vote.
He said he hoped to increase the party's share of the vote in the wake of the substantial Brexit vote in the constituency.
UKIP's candidate for Emma Reynolds's Wolverhampton North East seat is Graham Eardley.
He came second to Labour's Adrian Bailey in West Bromwich West in 2015 with 25.2 per cent of the vote, and is a member of the anti-EU Bruges Group.
He said that as a 'fervent Brexiteer' he was anxious to keep pressure on the Government over its Brexit plans and negotiations.
The city's UKIP branch chairman Rob Jones will contest Wolverhampton South West, where he will be up against Eleanor Smith, who was announced as the Labour candidate on Friday.
The constituency's current MP, Labour's Rob Marris, is due to step down when Parliament dissolves on May 5.
Meanwhile the Conservative party has chosen its official candidate to stand for the Dudley North parliamentary seat.
Pedmore and Stourbridge East councillor Les Jones was chosen following a vote by members of the Conservative Association in Dudley North.
He will be competing for the seat against current Dudley North MP Ian Austin, of the Labour Party, and Sedgley councillor Bill Etheridge MEP, who will be representing UKIP.
Councillor Jones said: "I am thrilled. I was the respected candidate two years ago and I took it on in difficult circumstances but they still felt I did a good job. This time the circumstances are different. I have been well-known in the area for a long time. The national mood seems to be more favourable this time."
Mr Jones was selected as the Conservative candidate in 2015 at late notice after Afzal Amin quit following allegations he had collaborated with the English Defence League in an effort to win votes.
