Jill Seymour to fight The Wrekin seat for UKIP

Jill Seymour, the party's front bench transport spokesman who was elected to the European Parliament in May, will take on sitting MP Mark Pritchard.

Mrs Seymour, who was born in the Wrekin constituency and still lives within its boundaries, said: "I am proud to have been selected to represent UKIP in an area which is so close to my heart.

"These are challenging times for the Wrekin, particularly where the National Health Service is concerned.

"I will fight strongly against any plans to reduce accident and emergency hospital services in Telford. We have a growing population which needs an increase in facilities, not a reduction.

"Hospital car parking charges should be abolished too. They are an unjustified tax on the sick which prey on drivers at a most vulnerable time.

"And every effort must be made to secure a practical, sensibly timed direct rail service which links Telford, and the wider county of Shropshire, to London."

Mrs Seymour, who has a farming background, was chosen by the UKIP Telford & Wrekin branch following a strenuous selection and interview process.

"I am a passionate believer in the need to protect our rural countryside, and will fight against what I feel is an over-development of green fields in the Wrekin constituency," she said.

A spokesman for UKIP Telford & Wrekin branch added: "We are delighted to have someone with such a high national profile, and such strong local links, to fight The Wrekin on our behalf.

"Jill is a former councillor who cares passionately about the area. She understands the issues that matter to the people of The Wrekin, and is not afraid to stand up and fight for what she believes."

If she is elected in May, Mrs Seymour said she would resign her seat in the European Parliament, where she is UKIP's transport spokesman.