The Yorkshire Party has selected Mike Jordan, a local councillor, to contest the Selby and Ainsty by-election.

Cllr Jordan represents the Camblesforth and Carlton ward on North Yorkshire council, which lies entirely within the constituency.

He previously stood for the Yorkshire Party in Selby and Ainsty at the 2019 general election, where he gained one of the Party’s highest-ever votes in a Westminster contest.

Matt Walker is Lib-Dem candidate for Selby and Ainsty by-election

Cllr Jordan has served as a councillor for 16 years and lives in Sherburn-in-Elmet.

Initially, he served as a Conservative until joining the Yorkshire Party in 2018, believing Yorkshire was not getting enough devolutionary powers central government.

Claire Holmes is Conservative choice for Selby and Ainsty by-election

He later rejoined the Tories, but switched back to the Yorkshire party earlier this month, costing the Conservatives their majority on the new North Yorkshire Council.

Cllr Jordan's policy priorities for the election are tackling the housing crisis by supporting the right developments in the right places, including social housing, getting better public transport for the area, and making sure that solar and wind farms can be developed without adversely affecting quality farmland.

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Underpinning these priorities is his belief in the Yorkshire Party’s core policy of a regional Yorkshire parliament, with the same kind of guaranteed funding and powers that the Scottish parliament has. 

Such a parliament the party says would be a powerful lobbying voice, both to London and also for inward investment, would boost public spending in the region, and would allow Yorkshire folk to take the decisions directly affecting Yorkshire.

Labour has Keir Mather as candidate for Selby and Ainsty by-election

Cllr Jordan said: “Nothing is achievable without real local powers. Yorkshire needs a Regional Parliament, controlling a fair budget. Vote for it and make London listen. When the Yorkshire Party wins, Yorkshire wins.”

“I believe Selby and Ainsty – and the whole country – has been let down by two London-based parties that have consistently either taken places like this for granted or ignored them altogether. We need a change and I ask the voters in the constituency to back the Yorkshire Party and help me make that change.”

Tyler Callum Wilson-Kerr stands as Independent for Selby and Ainsty

In addition to his council duties, Mike Jordan is also Chairman of the Mark 1 Ford Cortina Owners Club.

So far, the other candidates include barrister and East Riding Councillor Claire Holmes (Conservative); Ouseburn councillor on North Yorkshire Council Arnold Warneken (Green); Keir Mather, a senior public affairs advisor for the Confederation of British Industry (Labour); David Kent for the Reform Party; and Tyler Callum Wilson-Kerr, a member of Aberford Parish Council and at 24, is currently the youngest candidate in the by-election.

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Nominations for candidates close at 4pm today (Friday).

Residents of the Selby and Ainsty constituency have until midnight on Tuesday July 4, to register to vote and until 5pm on Wednesday July 5  to apply for a postal vote. People also have until 5pm on Wednesday July 12 to apply for a proxy vote.