Candidates confirmed for five-way by-election fight

Candidates have been confirmed for an upcoming by-election on a finely balanced Leicestershire council.

Voters in Harborough District Council's Lutterworth East ward will go to the polls on Thursday 2 July to choose a successor to Labour politician David Gair, who died in April.

The campaign will be a five-way contest between Labour, the Green Party, Reform UK, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

The Tories are the largest single party on the council, holding 16 of the 34 seats on the authority, though they do not have a majority.

Following Gair's death, the Conservatives seized control of the authority by a single vote.

It had previously been run by a 16-strong coalition of Liberal Democrat, Labour, Green and independent councillors since 2023.

There are now seven Liberal Democrat councillors, four independents, three Greens, two Labour and a Reform UK councillor.

The deadline for candidate nominations for the Lutterworth East by-election passed on Friday.

• Martin Cullen - Labour

• Adam Holmes - Green Party

• Bill Piper - Reform UK

• Sarah Simms - Conservative Party

• Stephen Walkley - Liberal Democrats

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