Former Greater Manchester MP Chris Clarkson stands in safe Tory seat 100 miles away

A former red wall Greater Manchester MP has been confirmed as a Conservative candidate - in a safe Tory seat 100 miles away. Chris Clarkson, who was the MP for Heywood and Middleton, will be standing in the Conservative-held constituency of Stratford-on-Avon.

At the last general election in 2019, Mr Clarkson was one of five Tories to gain a seat from Labour in Greater Manchester. Two of them have now joined Labour and only one is seeking re-election in the same seat as a Conservative candidate - James Daly in Bury North.

Mr Clarkson announced last year that he would be standing down due to constituency boundary changes dividing the seat into two. Previously, Heywood and Middleton had always been represented by Labour in Parliament since the constituency was created in 1983.

READ MORE: Bolton councillor to stand for Tories in marginal seat after ex-MP joined Labour

Mr Clarkson has now been confirmed as the Conservative candidate for Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire. Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi was last elected to the seat - which the Tories have won at every election for more than 100 years - with a majority of 19,972.

Laura-Beth Thompson, who is listed as living in the Lancashire village of Helmshore, has been confirmed as the Conservative candidate for the new Heywood and Middleton North constituency. Under new boundaries, two Middleton wards will now be part of Blackley.

In 2019, Mr Clarkson, who was previously a councillor in Salford, beat former Labour MP Liz McInnes by just 663 votes to win the old seat. Rochdale councillor Elsie Blundell was selected to stand for Labour in the new Heywood and Middleton North seat last March.

Independent Chris Furlong, Reform UK's Steve Potter and Lib Dem Tom Shaw are also in the race for the former red wall seat on July 4.