Melton borough residents prepare to vote in European elections

A total of 41 people are standing for the five seats available for the East Midlands constituency with four of the current incumbents running again.

One of the most high profile candidates is the Brexit Party’s Annunziata Rees-Mogg, the sister of prominent Tory Brexiteer, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

There are five people up for election as an MEP for the region from each of the Brexit Party, Change UK, the Conservatives, Green Party, Independent Network, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Ukip, with just a solitary Independent candidate.

There is uncertainty over how long successful candidates will serve with the UK due to leave the EU this year - a delay on this has been agreed until October but parliamentary discussions will be taking place shortly on Prime Minister Theresa May’s latest deal in a bid to leave earlier.

Emma McClarkin, who is standing again for the Tories, visited Melton’s farmers’ market last week to meet residents and hand out campaign leaflets.

Ms McClarkin said: “This is an election no-one wants but to deliver Brexit we must fight on.

“Whether we like it or not the government is the only mechanism we have to deliver Brexit and a diminished Conservative vote would only risk Brexit.”

She added: “A strong economy is key to the county of Leicestershire and to the people who live here.

“This can best be achieved by securing a swift and clean exit from the European Union as British businesses and the public have had enough of the uncertainty.”

In the European elections, people vote for the party rather than the candidate and each party will then get the number of MEP seats relative to the number of votes they have received in each constituency.

The candidates will be ranked on the ballot papers in the order in which the parties would like them to be elected.

Votes cast in Leicestershire will be combined with those from other counties in the region and the overall results will announced on Sunday evening.

Here is a full list of those standing for each party tomorrow.

BREXIT PARTY

Annunziata Rees-Mogg

Jonathan Deryck Bullock

Matthew Richard Patten

Tracy Selina Knowles

Anna Louisa Bailey

CHANGE UK

Kate Godfrey

Joan Laplana

Narinder Sharma

Pankajhumar Gulab

Emma-Jane Marley

CONSERVATIVE

Emma McClarkin

Rupert Matthews

Anthony Harper

Brendan Clarke-Smith

Thomas Randall

GREEN PARTY

Kat Boettge

Gerhard Lohmann-Bond

Liam McClelland

Daniel Wimberley

Simon Tooke

INDEPENDENT

Simon Louis Rood

INDEPENDENT NETWORK

Nick Byatt

Marianne Jane Overton

Daniel Anthony Simpson

Pearl Winifred Clarke

Nikki Dillon

LABOUR

Rory Palmer

Leonie Mathers

Tony Tinley

Nicolle Ndiweni

Gary Godden

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

Bill Newton Dunn

Michael Mullaney

Lucy Care

Suzanna Austin

Caroline Kenyon

UKIP

Alan Graves

Marietta King

Anil Bhatti

Fran Loi

John Evans