Over 20% of Greater Lincolnshire election candidates not locally based
Just over 20% of the 76 Greater Lincolnshire’s candidates standing in July’s general election do not have registered addresses inside the county.
A Member of Parliament is elected by the people to represent a local area and be the voice of a community within government — championing local people and fighting for local causes.
However, a trend has emerged in not just this general election, but others beforehand, with candidates being ‘parachuted’ into seats rather than a local person being selected for a big political party.
It is an issue that has garnered national attention in recent days, following the controversy of Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden, who was accused of ‘parachuting’ himself into a safer seat than the North West Durham constituency.
His choice to stand in Basildon & Billericay, some 300 miles from North West Durham, was criticised by local party officials in Essex, as well as opposition candidates for the seat, but it appears the problem is more systemic than just this isolated case.
In Greater Lincolnshire, for example, almost half of the candidates across all eleven available seats have registered addresses from outside the constituency they are standing in — as per the official statement of persons nominated documents.
Of the 75 candidates fighting for these eleven seats, just 44 have listed addresses in their relevant constituency, and 16 of them are not even based in Greater Lincolnshire.
The worst culprits for this practice are the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats — each standing just four local candidates out of eleven in the region — compared to the eight fielded by the Conservatives, the seven standing for Reform and five for the Green Party.
For the Lincoln seat, five of the nine candidates have addresses within the constituency boundaries, with Conservative Karl McCartney listed in Gainsborough along with Social Democratic candidate Craig Marshall, while Reform’s Jamie-Lee McMillan is based in Sleaford & North Hykeham, and independent candidate Laura Ashby is situated in Wragby — found in the Louth & Horncastle constituency.
Over in Sleaford & North Hykeham, though, the lack of locality is a real issue. Of the six candidates for this seat, just one (Robert Oates of Lincolnshire Independents) is based inside the boundary; with Conservatives, Reform and the Greens fielding candidates from elsewhere in Lincolnshire, and Labour and the Liberal Democrats opting for people from London and Portsmouth respectively.
The Lincolnshire constituency with the most local representation is Grantham & Bourne, where six of the eight candidates registered addresses within Grantham & Bourne. Labour’s candidate for this seat is listed from Leicester, and the Liberal Democrat candidate is from Berkshire.
It is hardly a new phenomenon, also. In 2015, Victoria Atkins was brought into the Louth & Horncastle constituency — a safe Conservative seat since the 1920s — after failed bids in Tonbridge & Malling and previously for the role of Gloucestershire Police & Crime Commissioner.
The same can also be said of former Grantham & Stamford MP Gareth Davies, who is the Conservative candidate for the new Grantham & Bourne constituency this time around.
The Leeds-born politician was brought into Lincolnshire to replace Nick Boles, who went independent in 2019, having previously finished 2nd for the Doncaster Central seat in 2010, and Leeds Central in 2017.
Indeed, this even pre-dates the 21st century, with South Holland & The Deepings’ MP since 1997, Sir John Hayes, who was born in London, twice standing for the Derbyshire North East seat (1987 and 1992), before earning his Lincolnshire-based seat at the 1997 general election.
Below is a breakdown of each constituency in Greater Lincolnshire, and the registered address locations of each candidate, to reflect the frequency of local candidates for local seats at this general election.
Lincoln
Karl McCartney (Conservative) — address in Gainsborough constituency
Hamish Falconer (Labour) — address in Lincoln Borough constituency
Clare Smalley (Liberal Democrat) — address in Lincoln
Sally Anne Horscroft (Green) — address in Lincoln Borough constituency
Jamie-Lee McMillan (Reform UK) — address in Sleaford & North Hykeham constituency
Linda Richardson (Workers Party) — address in Lincoln
Charles Shaw (The Liberal Party) — address in Lincoln
Craig Marshall (Social Democratic Party) — address in Gainsborough constituency
Laura Ashby (Independent) — address in Louth & Horncastle constituency
Sleaford & North Hykeham
Caroline Johnson (Conservative) — address in South Kesteven constituency
Hanif Khan (Labour) — address in London
Matthew Winnington (Liberal Democrat) — address in Portsmouth
Martin Blake (Green) — address in Spalding
Ben Jackson (Reform UK) — address in Gainsborough
Robert Oates (Lincolnshire Independents) — address in Sleaford & North Hykeham constituency
Boston & Skegness
Matt Warman (Conservative) — address in East Lindsey
Alexandra Fawbert (Labour) — address in Chesterfield
Richard Lloyd (Liberal Democrat) — address in Aylesbury
Chris Moore (Green) — address in Boston & Skegness
Richard Tice (Reform UK) — address in Vauxhall, London
David Dickason (English Democrat) — address in Boston & Skegness
Mike Gilbert (Blue Revolution. For People, Not Parties.) — address in Boston
Gainsborough
Sir Edward Leigh (Conservative) — address in Gainsborough constituency
Jess McGuire (Labour) — address in Lincoln
Lesley Rollings (Liberal Democrat) — address in Gainsborough constituency
Vanessa Smith (Green) — address in South Kesteven
Pat O’Connor (Reform UK) — address in Gainsborough
Tim Mellors (Social Democratic Party) — address in Gainsborough constituency
Louth & Horncastle
Victoria Atkins (Conservative) — address in Louth & Horncastle constituency
Jonathan Slater (Labour) — address in Newark
Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrat) — address in Lincoln
Robert Watson (Green) — address in Mablethorpe
Sean Matthews (Reform UK) — address in Horncastle
Marcus Moorhouse (Social Democratic Party) — address in Boston & Skegness
Iconic Arty-Pole (Monster Raving Loony Party) — address in Louth
Paul Hugill (Independent) — address in Louth
Grantham & Bourne
Gareth Davies (Conservative) — address in Grantham & Bourne constituency
Vipul Bechar (Labour) — address in Leicester West constituency
John Vincent (Liberal Democrat) — address in Newbury, Berkshire
Anne Gayfer (Green) — address in Grantham & Bourne constituency
Mike Rudkin (Reform UK) — address in Grantham & Bourne constituency
Alexander Mitchell (Social Democratic Party) — address in Grantham & Bourne
Charmaine Morgan (Lincolnshire Independents) — address in Grantham
Ian Selby (Independent) — address in Grantham
Rutland & Stamford
Alicia Kearns (Conservative) — address in Rutland & Stamford constituency
Joe Wood (Labour) — address in North West Leicestershire
James Moore (Liberal Democrat) — address in Oakham
Emma Baker (Green) — address in Rutland & Stamford constituency
Chris Clowes (Reform UK) — address in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston constituency
Joanna Burrows (Rejoin EU) — address in Rutland & Stamford constituency
South Holland & The Deepings
Sir John Hayes (Conservative) — address in Spalding
Paul Hilliar (Labour) — address in Hornsey and Friern Barnet constituency (London)
Jack Braginton (Liberal Democrat) — address in South Holland & The Deepings constituency
Rhys Baker (Green) — address in South Kesteven
Matt Swainson (Reform UK) — address in South Holland & The Deepings constituency
Mark le Sage (Independent) — address in Spalding
Great Grimsby & Cleethorpes
Lia Nici (Conservative) — address in North East Lincolnshire
Melanie Onn (Labour) — address in Great Grimsby & Cleethorpes constituency
John Lawson (Liberal Democrat) — address in Batley & Spen, near Leeds
Ed Fraser (Green) — address in Bristol Central
Oliver Freeston (Reform UK) — address in Cleethorpes
Christopher Stephenson (Social Democratic Party) — address in East Lindsey
Mark Gee (Trade Union & Socialist Coalition) — address in Cleethorpes
Scunthorpe
Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative) — address in North Lincolnshire
Sir Nic Dakin (Labour) — address in Scunthorpe
Cahal Burke (Liberal Democrat) — address in Colne Valley, Pennine Hills
Nick Cox (Green) — address in Blaby district, Leicestershire
Darren Haley (Reform UK) — address in Scunthorpe
Scott Curtis (Heritage Party) — address in Scunthorpe
Dr Abdul Butt (Independent) — address in Scunthorpe constituency
Brigg & Immingham
Martin Vickers (Conservative) — address in North East Lincolnshire
Najmul Hussain (Labour) — address in North Lincolnshire
Eleanor Rylance (Liberal Democrat) — address in East Devon district
Amie Watson (Green) — address in Brigg & Immingham constituency
Paul Ladlow (Reform UK) — address in Brigg & Immingham constituency
