Candidates named for 2015 election

Human resources specialist Adrian Cruden will stand for the Greens in Dewsbury and teacher Aleks Lukic will stand for Ukip in Batley and Spen.

Mr Cruden said: “Dewsbury and Mirfield have had longstanding problems from being ‘in between’ larger towns and cities which have drawn a lot of prosperity out of our area. So Green policies for greater local democracy and supporting local businesses and economies have never been more important.

“More widely, we stand for a more equal society both because that is right in itself and because our world will not be able to sustain the massive inequality in wealth we see now. So we support providing a citizens’ income for all, a £10 minimum wage and cracking down on big business’ tax avoidance and tax breaks for the super-rich.”

Mr Lukic said: “I look forward to leading an exciting, positive campaign and to hearing the full range of views of people in our area. Ukip offers bold policies for building an equitable and aspirational Britain that would put the people’s interests, your interests, first.

“I want to see a reformed and re-energised local democracy with far more decentralisation from Huddersfield and involvement of all the people.

“Ukip are a breath of fresh air in British politics, with straight-talking people and bold, common-sense policies that offer voters a real alternative to the established ways of doing things.”