VOTERS will today head to the polls to elect their MP in the general election.
Here is a look at the candidates standing in the two constituencies in St Helens.
St Helens North will see a new MP elected to replace the outgoing Conor McGinn, while Marie Rimmer is hoping to defend her St Helens South and Whiston seat.
Who are the candidates?
St Helens North candidates
Jayne Louise Rear - Conservative Party
Joe Greenhalgh - English Constitution Party, Independence for England
Daniel Thomas - Green Party
David Baines - Labour Party
Pat Moloney - Liberal Democrats
Malcolm Webster - Reform UK
St Helens South & Whiston candidates
Emma Ellison - Conservative Party
Terence Price - Green Party
James Tasker - Independent
Marie Rimmer - Labour Party
Brian Spencer - Liberal Democrats
Raymond Peters - Reform UK
What each of the candidates have said in the campaign
Labour
St Helens North – David Baines
David Baines, who stepped down as St Helens Council leader earlier this year to focus on his campaign to reach Westminster, is the Labour candidate for St Helens North.
Speaking during the campaign, he said: “The response [from the public] has been fantastic - they are desperate for change, have real concerns about the state of the country and public services - whether that’s over waits in A&E or desperate worries about what will happen if they call an ambulance in an emergency.
“I speak to families, they are worried about their children’s schools and the resources in their classrooms that they are having to ‘make do’ with.
“We need to stop the chaos that we’ve seen in the economy and we have plans to deliver economic growth and have fully costed measures to bring in more GPs and teachers... and we also need to start building affordable homes.
“I am an optimist when it comes to St Helens - it is a great place to live. St Helens North and St Helens as a whole needs a strong voice - someone to champion its causes - I want to be that voice.”
Read the full article from Mr Baines' election pitch here.
St Helens South & Whiston – Marie Rimmer
St Helens political veteran Marie Rimmer is standing in St Helens South and Whiston for Labour.
The former council leader has been the MP for the constituency since 2015.
She is looking to defend the seat for the third time, after re-elections in 2017 and 2019.
She has shared images on the campaign trail ahead of today’s vote.
During the campaign, Ms Rimmer said: “Only Labour can bring an end to 14 years of Tory chaos. The country needs change.”
A lovely start to the campaign session across the town centre and in Fingerpost. Then the heavens opened and it started to pour down. Thanks for all the support. pic.twitter.com/DSfZfxdbqh
— Marie Rimmer (@MarieRimmer) June 15, 2024
Conservatives
St Helens North – Jayne Rear
Jayne Rear is the Tory contesting the St Helens North constituency.
A Lancashire county councillor, who is married with two grown-up sons, Ms Rear has worked in both the private and public sector, in the insurance, aviation and travel industries. Also, prior to her political career was a primary school teacher.
After her selection to fight the St Helens North seat, Jayne said: “I believe my role as a county councillor has given me the experience needed to take the next step to become the MP for St Helens North.
“If elected, I will champion the voice of local people in Westminster. I will work hard to make sure that St Helens North gets its fair share of any funding devolved to the north west and that that money is spent wisely for the good of its residents."
She added: “I am passionate about making sure that we can create new jobs in the area, and that our schools and colleges are focussed on helping people of all ages to develop the skills needed to support the local economy to grow and adapt to new technologies so that new businesses are keen to be based in St Helens.
“By lending me your vote in July to elect me as your Conservative MP for St Helens North, I will guarantee that my determination, tenacity and stamina will make me an MP of whom you and the constituency can be proud.”
Read Ms Rear's full election pitch here.
St Helens South and Whiston – Emma Ellison
Emma Ellison is the Tory candidate to contest for the seat.
Emma is a councillor on Blackpool Council and a mum-of-four and also a school governor and volunteers with several community groups.
She said: “I have always lived in the north west and alongside my full-time job, I have been a councillor for the last seven years and successfully campaigned for issues that have had a significant impact in my local community, including the reopening of a local library for the community. I have spoken up for the residents of my ward, and the area I represent and made them my priority.
“For many years I have been heavily involved in my local community and volunteer with several different community groups from, my local friends of the park group, to children’s centres and being a governor at my children’s school, as well as helping to organise some of the many local events we hold each year. In my spare time I enjoy crafting, knitting, crochet and sewing.
“I am not the type of person who will do nothing when issues arise, and should you select me to represent you, I will involve myself wholeheartedly to advocate on your behalf and commit myself to fully becoming a part of your wonderful local community."
Read the full article on Ms Ellison's pitch here.
Reform UK
St Helens North - Malcolm Webster
Malcolm Webster is standing for the party in St Helens North.
He said Reform has replaced the Conservatives as the “opposition” in traditional Labour heartland areas.
The party has outscored the Conservatives in some recent national opinion polls ahead of the election and leader Nigel Farage has said he aims to make Reform the main voice of opposition to an expected Labour government.
St Helens North candidate Malcolm said: “We are now in all the red wall seats the opposition to Labour, it’s not the Tories anymore.
“Everyone should go out and look at what the actual policies are of each of the parties, don’t vote by historical allegiance, get out there and look at policies and decide which one is best for you and your families.
"Don’t just vote because you’ve always voted Labour and always voted Tory. Let’s have a conversation.
Thatto Heath-raised ex-police officer Mr Webster said one of the focuses of Reform’s pledges is to “make work pay” and cited the party’s proposal to raise the income tax threshold to £20,000. Also among the party’s pledges is also to axe the ‘net zero’ target.
Mr Webster said: “We have to reward work and we have to make work pay, you’ve got to get to the situation where we want people in work, we want to encourage people to work and one of the ways to do it to them is to say, ‘if you work you get more money’.”
He said immigration is also an issue which has been mentioned by residents in St Helens, with Reform proposing a freeze on "non-essential" immigration.
View the full article from our interview with Mr Webster here.
The St Helens South & Whiston candidate for Reform UK is Raymond Peters.
Liberal Democrats
St Helens North – Pat Moloney
Pat Moloney, a councillor in Childwall on Knowsley Council, is contesting the seat for the Lib Dems in the general election on July 4.
Mr Moloney, from Liverpool, whose background includes working in software engineering, set out the issues he feels are resonating with voters on the doorstep.
He said: “People’s standard of living has dropped in the last five years, the biggest drop since the Napoleonic wars, and we recently slipped to being the sixth largest economy, overtaken by India.”
Mr Moloney added: “I think the biggest event that affected people in St Helens is Pilkington’s being taken over, and I think that has been repeated across the country with local industries that have been taken over by a national company, or an international company, I think the effect on the local economy on losing that economic autonomy has been drastic.”
Mr Moloney said there is a need to “rebuild” local industry, acknowledging that is “not a quick fix”.
Mr Moloney, 64, said: “Certainly over the last 14 years, the rich have got richer and the poor have got poorer. That’s not good for social cohesion.
“Brexit was a huge issue, I don’t blame the people who voted for it, they were promised things and the Brexiteers shouted down everybody, and Brexit has been a disaster. A four per cent cut in GDP, it’s slowed down growth and now, eight years after the vote, we’re starting to see consequences.”
Mr Moloney also cited the National Health Service as a “huge issue on the doorstep” emphasised the importance of education, saying it is something that “ can really make people’s lives better”.
He also expressed scepticism over academy schools, and a lack of “accountability.”
“I think we’ve had a lot of academic snobbery”, he added, stating apprenticeships in trades such as electricians, plastering and plumbing give “skills to set you up for a good income for life”.
Read our article from our interview with Mr Moloney here.
St Helens South and Whiston – Brian Spencer
Former St Helens Council leader Brian Spencer is contesting the seat for the Lib Dems.
He led the local authority from 2006 to 2010 in a Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition at the town hall.
Mr Spencer, who was once an electrician at Sutton Manor colliery, was elected back on to the council in 2022, representing Sutton South East.
Green Party
St Helens North – Daniel Thomas
Blackbrook-born Daniel Thomas is contesting St Helens North.
He said the NHS is a central theme of his campaign.
Daniel said: “I’m standing because I’m passionate about our NHS, angry about the cost of living, and in despair about the state of nature and our environment.
“The NHS is close to my heart. In 2021, my dad felt unwell and needed an ambulance. We were told there would be an eight hour wait. After five hours, his condition deteriorated and an ambulance eventually came.
“The next day, my dad died very suddenly of a heart attack. “Do I blame the NHS for his death? No. Do I think the wait for an ambulance contributed to his death? Undoubtedly. This is the kind of story I hear time and time again from other people. That’s why I want to protect and invest in health and social care.
“Our NHS has been deliberately sabotaged in recent years. Waiting times and waiting lists have rocketed. GP appointments are harder than ever to obtain.
"Other parties think the solution is more privatisation. It isn’t. Free healthcare is a fundamental principle held dear by people up and down the country and we would make sure it is funded properly so that everybody can see an NHS dentist and doctor when they need one.
“The Tories have delivered crisis after crisis – cost of living, health services, housing and more. Our borough has been decimated by rocketing mortgages and rents, and staggering energy bill increases. Inflation is pushing up the prices of everyday essentials, yet we have the Bank of England wagging its finger at us saying ‘don’t ask for more wages’, telling the government to not invest and refusing to cut interest rates to boost recovery.
“But under Labour things will barely get any better any time soon. The incremental change Labour has put on the table just isn’t going to cut it to get this country back on track. Put simply, the next Labour government will usher in Austerity 3.0. We need more Green MPs if we are to drive that real change forward.”
Meanwhile, Terence Price from Thatto Heath is standing in St Helens South and Whiston.
Read the full article here.
St Helens South and Whiston – James Tasker (Independent)
James Tasker, an independent councillor in Rainhill, is vying to become the MP for the St Helens South and Whiston seat.
Discussing how his campaign has been going and what voters on the doorsteps have been telling him, he said: “Whilst most politicians like to hide away, I always try and be as accessible as possible.
“If you want change then you have to go out and get it.
“We’ve had Labour MPs in St Helens South & Whiston for decades, through both Conservative and Labour governments, yet we’ve seen a decline in services and facilities throughout both.
“We’ve never had a strong voice that genuinely cares about our community, and particularly one that isn’t tied down by a party whip. That’s where I hope to step in and change things for the better.
“If the public have the desire for change, which is exactly what I’m hearing from the majority of the public here, then the public will vote for change,” he added.
“Independents do make a difference across the country. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got. It’s time for change.
“I’m born and bred here in St Helens South & Whiston. I genuinely love the place and the people. It deserves a far better representation than it has had in the previous two decades.”
Read the full article on Mr Tasker's election pledges here.
English Constitution Party
St Helens North - Joe Greenhalgh
Joe Greenhalgh is standing in the seat for the party that was founded in 2021.
The party believes the Act of Union should be voided which will give English citizens Common Law protections.
In Mr Greenhalgh’s election leaflet it said: “Our manifesto is the law of the land and the English Constitutional Statutes which protect your inalienable rights.
“When you elect an English Constitution Party (ECP) candidate, you elect an individual who solely represents their constituents.
“We are the only party that supports and campaigns for:
-Independence and self-determination for England
-Protecting the most vulnerable in society
-Raise State pensions qual to the National Living Wage
-Reduce the retirement age
-Stop the State funding of wars
-Lawful immigration and secure borders
-Supporting local economies and independent businesses
-Removing VAT and Green energy tariffs from energy bills
-Keeping cash. No more card-only tills
Improving infrastructure and public services
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