Wetherby and Easingwold: John Hall, Yorkshire PartyYorkshire Party aiming to increase vote share in RiponPunk singer from Harrogate fighting for Yorkshire in Rishi Sunak’s backyardYorkshire Party calls for August 1 to be made a bank holiday

The Yorkshire Party is calling for Yorkshire Day – August 1 – to be made a bank holiday within the region.

White rose bunting has been installed in Harrogate to mark the yearly celebration, which occurs tomorrow.

The Yorkshire Party, which campaigns for devolution for Yorkshire in the form of a Yorkshire Regional Parliament, wants to take things further.

It said today an extra summer bank holiday would enable the county to celebrate its Yorkshire heritage and break up the long period between May and Christmas, which currently has only one bank holiday.

Yorkshire Day bunting on Princes Street.

England has eight bank holidays — fewer than many other countries.

Dr Bob Buxton, the Yorkshire Party’s co-leader, said:

“There’s a strong argument that England should have more bank holidays.  Why not have one to celebrate our regional identity here in Yorkshire, at the height of summer?”

“Scotland and Northern Ireland both have their own bank holidays; there’s no reason why Yorkshire couldn’t do likewise, which could give a massive boost to Yorkshire’s tourist and leisure sectors, from the coast to the Dales.”

Yorkshire Party candidate Mike Jordan finished fourth – ahead of the Lib Dems and Reform UK – with 4.2 per cent of the vote in this month’s Selby and Ainsty by-election.

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Selby and Ainsty by-election candidates have their say – Part 2

This article is the second of a series of six.

Voters across parts of the district will be heading to the polls on Thursday (July 20), when Selby and Ainsty holds a by-election triggered by the dramatic resignation last month of MP Nigel Adams. 

Most of the Selby and Ainsty constituency lies beyond our district’s borders – it stretches almost as far as Goole and Doncaster – but its northern end does encompass Huby, Follifoot, Spofforth and some of the villages in the Vale of York, such as Tockwith, Green Hammerton and Long Marston. 

There’s a broad field to choose from – there are 13 candidates – but who are they, and what do they believe? 

In the lead-up to the by-election, we’re spotlighting two or three each day, giving constituents the opportunity to read about the people who wish to represent them at Westminster – in their own words. 

Yesterday, we featured independent Andrew Gray and Claire Holmes of the Conservative Party. Continuing to take their surnames in alphabetical order, today’s candidates are Mike Jordan of the Yorkshire Party and Dave Kent of Reform UK. 

Tomorrow: Keir Mather (Labour), Nick Palmer (independent), and Guy Phoenix (Heritage Party).

Mike Jordan, Yorkshire Party 

Mike Jordan has been a county councillor since 2009 and currently represents the Camblesforth & Carlton division on North Yorkshire Council. He was a member of the Conservative Party before he joined the Yorkshire Party, which campaigns for a Yorkshire Parliament, in 2018. He moved back to the Tories, but he then quit the party again, causing it to lose its majority on the council, and now sits as an independent. 

To add to the confusion, the Yorkshire Party is not mentioned next to Mr Jordan’s name on the official list of candidates – the space is blank, due to an administrative error. But he assures the Stray Ferret that his name will be on the ballot paper as the Yorkshire Party candidate. 

“In a nutshell, this is a unique opportunity for the residents of Selby and Ainsty. This by-election is for a year’s term in office. So why not lend me your vote, just for the year and send me down to London. I am the only candidate that will force them to sit up and think about Yorkshire.  

“Selby and Ainsty will be effectively representing Yorkshire in this election. It’s a numbers game down there, and so voting for any of the main parties will be like pouring a pint of water in the sea and expecting to see it rise. Not happening.” 

Dave Kent, Reform UK 

A populist hardline Eurosceptic party founded by Nigel Farage in 2018 as the Brexit Party.  

“I live just outside Selby, in the village of Hambleton. This is no pretence when I say ‘I love the area and its people’. 

“That said, people are facing issues that need strong leadership to bring people with hope and improve the town of Selby by using a Beverley town mentality to bring people into this lovely town.  

“There are many ways this can be done; one is to bring produce from local farmer shop with benefits for doing this and create a boutique shop style as well. With incentives for doing this.  

“Our rivers are being polluted by sewage entering the River Wharfe near Wetherby. This is something you would expect from a Third World country. Unfortunately, any fines are much lower than the money to improve. This is affecting our area, but also the whole country as similar issues elsewhere where Reform UK is needed. 

“Probably for the first time since the war, local issues are also national issues. The cost of living is soaring, inflation is running at eye-watering levels, and the people on the street are feeling the pinch. Reform UK would do several things to combat this.  

“It was brought to this country’s attention a couple weeks ago that supermarkets have been profiting by large amounts on fuel; we believe food is having a similar thing, and gas too.  

“They have used a chance to say ‘aw Covid, aw Ukraine’, yet our farmers are not getting any more for the food they produce, so somewhere in between, someone is making a killing.  

“Net zero, according to KPMG, will cost each household £1,000 this year; this is madness, since what they are doing will not change our climate one bit. Also mortgage rates, one of the only jobs for the Bank of England to do and they can’t do that right. 

“Much more to say, but I am limited.”

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‘Two in three chance’ Conservatives will lose Selby & Ainsty

The upcoming by-election in Selby and Ainsty is the most likely of three in the UK to see a win for the Conservatives, according to bookmakers’ odds.

Parliamentary seats in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, and Somerton and Frome, will also be contested on Thursday, July 20.

Statistics from bookmakers’ odds, analysed by the Telegraph, reveal the Selby and Ainsty seat is the most likely of the three to remain in Tory hands.

However, it still has a 66% likelihood of being lost to another party or independent candidate.

By comparison, Boris Johnson’s former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip has a 92% likelihood of being lost, and Somerton and Frome – previously held by David Warburton until his resignation after having the whip removed by the party – is rated at 71%.

In Selby and Ainsty, the by-election was triggered by the resignation of Nigel Adams, a close ally of the former prime minister.

He had held the seat since 2010, when it was first formed, and won a majority of just over 20,000 at the last election in 2019.

This time, the Conservative candidate will be Claire Holmes. She will stand against 12 other candidates, including two who have stood in the constituency before: Arnold Warneken for the Green Party and Mike Jordan for the Yorkshire Party.

The full list of candidates is:

Any constituents who have not yet registered to vote have until midnight tonight to do so on the government’s website.

It will be the first time voter ID will be required for an election in North Yorkshire. Acceptable forms of ID include photocard driving licences, UK passports, and bus passes for older or disabled people.

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Tories select replacement candidate for Selby and Ainsty by-election

The Conservative Party has selected its new candidate for the forthcoming Selby and Ainsty by-election following the shock withdrawal last week of its previous nominee. 

Claire Holmes, a barrister and East Riding of Yorkshire councillor, will contest the seat in place of Michael Naughton, who quit the race due to an “unforeseen family medical emergency”. 

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Holmes said:

“I know right now people want an MP who’ll only focus on improving our local communities across Selby and Ainsty – not on political point-scoring in Westminster. 

“That means I will work with Rishi Sunak and the government on our five clear priorities: halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting hospital waiting lists and stopping the boats.” 

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of MP Nigel Adams, who was first elected in 2010 and has since held several ministerial posts under prime ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson. He was nominated by Mr Johnson for a peerage, but did not make the final list. 

Mr Adams had already said he would not contest the seat at the next election, but stepped down immediately after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation in the wake of the cross-party Privileges Committee report into the Partygate scandal that he had misled Parliament. 

The by-election in Selby and Ainsty will be held on Thursday, July 20, the same day as the by-election in Mr Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency. 

The other candidates declared so far are: for the Green Party, Arnold Warneken, the councillor for Ouseburn on North Yorkshire Council; for the Labour Party, Keir Mather, a senior public affairs adviser for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI); and for the Yorkshire Party, Mike Jordan, whose defection from the Conservatives earlier this month lost the party its majority on North Yorkshire Council. 

The Liberal Democrats are due to announce their candidate this week, but are not expected to campaign heavily in the constituency ahead of the ballot, in order not to split the anti-Tory vote. In 2019 they only won 8.6% of the vote in the constituency, compared with Labour’s 24.6%. 

The Conservatives, however, won 60.3% of the vote, giving them a 20,137 majority, which means that Labour will need a huge swing of 18% to win, according to Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde. 

Photo ID required to vote

In a statement, North Yorkshire Council said that anyone interested in becoming a candidate in the Selby and Ainsty by-election must submit a completed set of nomination forms before the deadline at 4pm this Friday (June 23).

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. If someone is unable to vote in person or by post, they have until 5pm on Wednesday, July 12, to apply for a proxy vote.

Voters attending the polling station for the by-election will need to bring photographic identification, such as a UK photocard driving licence, a passport, or concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or blue badge.

Anyone without an accepted form of ID should apply for a free voter authority certificate by 5pm on Wednesday, July 12.

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Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate quit after ‘chicken policy disagreement’

The Yorkshire Party candidate to be North Yorkshire mayor next year quit the party after a disagreement over a policy to hand out free chickens.

Keith Tordoff, who is from Pateley Bridge, pledged in an interview to give three chickens to 20,000 households in North Yorkshire.

But the policy had not been discussed in detail with the Yorkshire Party and thus Mr Tordoff will now seek election as an independent candidate.

He announced his resignation from the party this week.

Other disagreements included the Yorkshire Party’s website ‘not being up to date’ and there not being enough volunteers.

Mr Tordoff said:

 “They don’t like stories like the chicken story.

“They really tried to clamp down and said that shouldn’t have been released.

“I’ve been contacted by one of the largest egg producers in the country saying they want to offer help.

“It stimulated the imagination of people but the Yorkshire Party leadership didn’t think it was appropriate and would make the party look a bit foolish or silly.”

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Mr Tordoff also said he recorded a promotional song based on the lyric in Dire Straits’ Money For Nothing ‘your chicks for free’.

He said:

“They didn’t want me to release that.

“It’s not going to diminish anything but unfortunately they couldn’t quite see through it.

“I don’t think they quite have the drive, the vision, the imagination, or my appeal to people to work on projects.”

Although he wished the Yorkshire Party the best, Mr Todoff said its leadership “went over the top” on their crackdown of his policy.

He said:

“They couldn’t grasp it.”

Yorkshire Party co-leader Bob Buxton said: 

“Keith is used to being independent.

“He came up with the chicken story and that perhaps took away the emphasis from more substantial policies.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad policy but I would have liked to have fleshed it out a bit more.

“He’s very autonomous.

“It was all very polite but he felt and we felt it was best to part ways.”

The party will field a different candidate following the by-election in Selby and Ainsty triggered by Boris Johnson ally Nigel Adams.

Pateley Bridge man resigns as Yorkshire Party mayoral candidate

A Pateley Bridge man who was selected to stand for the Yorkshire Party for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has resigned from the party.

Keith Tordoff announced his candidacy for the role just over a week ago.

However, in a statement, he said he had decided to resign from the Yorkshire Party “with immediate effect” in order to stand as an independent.

Mr Tordoff, a former police officer, detective and specialist fraud investigator who owns Tordoff Gallery in Pateley Bridge, said the move would allow for “freedom and flexibility” in his campaign.

His statement said:

“The freedom and flexibility of being an independent candidate allows for Keith to appeal to all sections of society and members of all political parties as well as deliver on all relevant issues affecting the people who live, work or visit North Yorkshire.”

The move comes after Mr Tordoff, 67, released a list of pledges last week, which included giving 2,000 households three chickens each.

He said this would save 100 tonnes of food waste each month and improve the health of poorer households.

Mr Tordoff also said his priorities would be to make North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse; improve transport links and connectivity, especially for rural communities; making North Yorkshire a safer place to live, work and visit and to make North Yorkshire a world leader in sustainability.

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The 67-year-old, who was born and raised in Leeds, was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to business and the community.

Mr Tordoff has also previously stood as an independent candidate in both 2021 North Yorkshire Police, Fire Crime Commissioner elections, finishing in third place.

Zoe Metcalfe, the current North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner who lives in Aldborough, has announced she hopes to be selected by the Conservatives in the mayoral election.

Conservatives lose majority on North Yorkshire Council

The Conservatives have lost their majority on North Yorkshire Council following the defection of a councillor.

Mike Jordan resigned today from the Conservatives to become an independent.

He added he would support Pateley Bridge man Keith Tordoff, the Yorkshire Party candidate, in next year’s mayoral election for York and North Yorkshire and he also “might join the Yorkshire Party”.

It means the Tories now have 45 of the 90 seats on North Yorkshire Council — precisely half. However, if a vote is tied, the Tory chair David Ireton would get the casting vote.

Cllr Jordan said:

“I have listened to my constituents and I recognise their frustration with the Conservative Party and how their policies nationally and locally are affecting their health and wealth whilst destroying their communities.”

Yorkshire-born Cllr Jordan, who represents Camblesforth and Carlton, said his disillusionment with the Conservatives was more national than local, with the exception of the 20’s Plenty for Us campaign, which wants 20mph speed limits to be the norm on residential streets and in town and village centres.

He said he supported the initiative whereas “most of the Conservatives on north Yorkshire Council think it’s a waste of time”.

Cllr Jordan said the North Yorkshire Conservatives had not backed his bid to become the county’s first mayor next year and he would therefore support Mr Tordoff:

“I strongly believe Keith Tordoff, if elected mayor would make York and North Yorkshire an economic powerhouse, improve transport, whilst also through sustainability initiatives enrich the quality of the lives of people in the county.”

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