WE preview the candidates in the Bolton South East ward for the forthcoming General Election.

The Bolton News:

Yasmin Qureshi, Labour Party

Ms Qureshi has served as MP for Bolton South East since 2010 and was appointed as a Shadow Minister for Justice by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn last October.

The former barrister, who was born in Pakistan and moved to Watford at the age of nine, was among a group of Britain’s first female Muslim MPs when she was first elected to Parliament.

The 53-year-old, who campaigned to remain in the EU, has lobbied heavily to get justice for the WASPI women — a group demanding fairer treatment after changes to pension law cost them thousands of pounds.

She also led the protests over an inquiry into Primodos, a hormone pregnancy test taken by expectant mothers which she believes may have caused thousands of children to be born with deformities.

The Bolton News:

Sarah Pochin, Conservative Party

Mrs Pochin is a Cheshire East borough councillor from Nantwich, who previously worked for Shell.

The 47-year-old, whose father served in the army, says that she is passionate about supporting Britain’s armed forces.

She said: “I am an army child and a huge supporter of maintaining our defence spending. The defence of our realm is something that is going to come up a lot at the moment and it is something I am committed to.”

The mum-of-two voted for Brexit and says she has “never wavered from my belief that we can be stronger outside the EU”.

She added: “People want to know they are in safe hands as we negotiate Brexit and I have had staunch Labour voters saying they think Theresa May is the only person who can deliver that.”

The Bolton News:

Jeff Armstrong, UKIP

The 53-year-old lives in his hometown of Farnworth and has spent his working life in the rail industry.

Mr Armstrong, a father-of-four, contested this seat in 2015, finishing second with almost 10,000 votes.

One of his key pledges is to lobby for a dedicated rail service that starts in Bolton, saying: “Northern Rail always talk about putting on more coaches, but that will not solve the problem for people here.

“The electrification work going on now provides the perfect opportunity for us to have a new service that starts in Bolton.”

Mr Armstrong also wants to reduce the number of refugees and asylum seekers coming to Bolton. He said: “Bolton is a small town and yet we take quite a large number. Other towns should take their fair share.”

The Bolton News:

Frank Harasiwka, Liberal Democrat

A veteran campaigner, Mr Harasiwka has been active in Bolton politics for 40 years and has contested Bolton South East on four occasions.

He is currently group company secretary for a major housing association and has served as a college and school governor at a variety of educational institutions across Bolton for over 25 years.

He is also a founder-director of a community nursery in Great Lever.

Mr Harasiwka, whose wife Roz is a midwife, says health and social care would be his top priority.

He said: “The social care plans proposed by Theresa May betray the social contract that we have had for a long time.

“People are worried about what this is disguising. Is it paving the way for a privatised health service to become part of the equation in future?”

The Bolton News:

Alan Johnson, Green Party

Mr Johnson is the leader of Bolton’s Green Party and is running for Parliament for the third time.

The 68-year-old recently retired after 13 years working in social care and was previously an engineer.

He has campaigned passionately to stop fly-tipping and to introduce 20moh zones on residential roads.

Mr Johnson, who lives in Daubhill, said: “People want someone who will really represent them and get in touch with them. I am campaigning for the people here who get left behind and who aren’t listened to.

“We want to move away from central government and have more local democracy so that the people here have more of a say on how their country is run.”

He also fears that Brexit could lead to the loss of fundamental environmental protection laws.