Candidates have been announced for Wigan, Makerfield and Leigh and Atherton in next month's general election

All of the candidates standing in the three wards covering the Wigan borough have been announced ahead of the general election, which will be held on Thursday, July 4.

Labour incumbent Lisa Nandy will be hoping to retain her Wigan seat, while Makerfield and the new Leigh and Atherton seats are vacant following Labour MP Yvonne Fovargue and Conservative MP James Grundy announcing they would not be standing this time.

There will be eight candidates on the ballot sheet in Wigan, with Ms Nandy joined by Brian Crombie-Fisher (Liberal Democrats), Jan Cunliffe (independent), Andy Dawber (Reform UK), Jane Leicester (Green Party), Henry Mitson (Conservatives), Maureen O’Bern (independent) and The Zok (independent).

Ms O’Bern is currently an independent councillor for Ince on Wigan Council, while Ms Leicester is a councillor for Hale ward on Trafford Council.

Mr Crombie-Fisher and Mr Dawber have previously stood as candidates in Wigan’s local elections and Mr Mitson stood as a candidate in Finsbury Park in the 2022 local elections.

In Makerfield, there are six candidates hoping to secure the seat vacated by Ms Fovargue. They are: Thomas Bryer (English Democrats), Maria Deery (Green Party), Simon Finkelstein (Conservatives), Robert Kenyon (Reform UK), Josh Simons (Labour) and John Skipworth (Liberal Democrats).

Mr Simons is the director of political think-tank Labour Together, while Mr Finkelstein is special advisor to the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Ms Deery was a candidate in Lancaster’s local elections in 2023 and Mr Skipworth has previously stood for election for the Makerfield seat.

Standing in Leigh and Atherton are: Craig Buckley (English Democrats), Amelia Jones (Green Party), Jo Platt (Labour and Co-operative Party), Stuart Thomas (Liberal Democrats), Michael Winstanley (Conservatives) and George Woodward (Reform UK).

Ms Platt was previously the MP for Leigh from 2017 to 2019 and Mr Winstanley was a councillor for Orrell and is a former mayor of Wigan.

Ms Jones was a candidate in Lancaster’s local elections last year and Mr Thomas has previously stood for election to Wigan Council.