Three Labour, three UKIP and two Conservatives were elected as MEPS for the North West last night (full results here).
The North West vote share was Labour, 34%, UKIP 27%, Conservatives 20%, Green 7%, Liberal Democrat 6% and Others 5%.
The Liberal Democrats long-term MEP Chris Davies lost his set, as did the BNP’s Nick Griffin.
Here’s a quick ‘snapshot’ of both the new and re-elected MEPs), including global warming sceptic and leading UKIP MEP Paul Nuttall, who has his constituency offices in Lancaster. Mr Nuttall is also deputy leader of UKIP.
We’ve included their official web sites where we could find them, along with their Twitter accounts so you can follow their work. The North West is represented in the European Parliament by eight MEPs, elected every five years.
Jacqueline Foster – Conservative (Re-elected)
Jacqueline Foster was first elected as one of three Conservative MEPs for the North West of England in 2009. She is the Conservative Spokesman on the Transport & Tourism Committee and is also Deputy Leader of the Conservative MEPs.
She is also Vice President of the Animal Welfare Parliamentary Intergroup; Vice President of the Sky & Space Parliamentary Intergroup and a member of the EU-US Parliamentary Delegation with the United States.
Web: jacquelinefostermep.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/jfostermep
European Parliament Page: www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/4553/Jacqueline%20FOSTER_home.html
Sajjad Karim – Conservative (Re-elected)
Sajjad says his earliest political memory is campaigning for Margaret Thatcher and his local Conservative MP at the age of seven in his home borough of Pendle. In the European Parliament he has been involved in matters regarding industry, research and is the Tory Energy Spokesman on Legal Affairs
Web: www.sajjadkarim.eu Twitter: https://twitter.com/SHKMEP
European Parliament Page: www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/28481/Sajjad%20KARIM_home.html
Theresa Griffin – Labour
A former Liverpool City councillor, Theresa has been a Labour Party member for over 25 years and an active campaigner at local, CLP, national and European levels. She is currently Deputy Chair of the NW Regional Labour Party and represents NW CLPs on the National Policy Forum.
She describes herself as a committed trade union activist and has campaigned closely with all unions on employment rights, rights for young people, equality and against the BNP, EDL and far-right.
Web: http://theresagriffin.eu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheresaG_EU
Afzal Khan – Labour
Manchester’s former Lord Mayor, Mr Khan is Labour’s first Muslim MEP and has worked for the Labour Party on many levels.
He left school with no qualifications and worked as a labourer in a mill before returning to education, then spending three years as a police officer with Greater Manchester Police before going on to study law and qualifying as a solicitor.
Web: http://afzalkhan.org.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/cllrakhan
Julie Ward – Labour
The founder of Jack Drum Arts, a poet and community/cultural activist who strongly advocates social change via empowerment of ordinary people, Julie was politicised in the North West under Thatcher. “I’m so proud to be elected as one of three Labour MEPs to represent the North West in the European Parliament,” she says. “The last year has been an amazing new journey.
“From the factory floor to directing a disability organisation and co-founding a workers’ arts collective; from Manchester to Lancashire, Cumbria and north-east England (via Brazil, Belfast and Moldova!); my work and life experience enables me to understand the challenges faced by those from all walks of life,” she says.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/julie4nw
Louise Bours – UKIP
Louise Bours trained as an actress and singer at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, and went on to appear in Brookside, Peak Practice and Band of Gold in addition to performing in West End musicals and fronting 1940s big bands.
She previously served as councillor on Congleton borough and town councils and was elected Mayor of Congleton in 2006.
Prioer to her election she told the Chester Chronicle she would have a Brussels-based team but intends to spend most of her time in the North West, supporting local people on their doorstep. “How can you help anybody if you are completely detached sitting in an office in Brussels?” she mused.
“We want to shake off the BNP in blazers thing,” the single mother says of claims by some that UKIP is racist, and points out that former members of far right parties are banned from joining UKIP. She pointed out to the Chronicle that her father is actually Dutch and her full name is Louise van der Bours.
Paul Nuttall – UKIP (Re-elected)
A global warming sceptic, Paul is UKIP’s youngest ever Chairman, youngest ever MEP and is a member of Young Independence. He is a former history lecturer and played football for Tranmere Rovers in his youth.
With his constituency office in Lancaster, as a UKIP MEP, he says his mandate is to do himself and every other British MEP out of a job by helping to get the UK out of the costly and what he describes as the “undemocratic” European Union he has just been voted into again by democratic vote.
Over the next five years, he says he is committed to working tirelessly on behalf of those who elected him into office. As well as defending the UK’s interests in the European Parliament, Paul says he will campaign in Britain so UKIP can make a breakthrough at Westminster.
In September 2013 he argued Labour had abandoned working class voters, and UKIP was now the official oppostiion to Labour in the North West.
He also recently warned that the reduction in mobile roaming charges brought in by the European Union was not as good a deal as it sounded, arguing it would lead to higher domestic charges for mobile use.
Web: www.paulnuttallmep.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulnuttallukip
European Parliament Page: www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96805/PAUL_NUTTALL_home.html
Steven Woolfe – UKIP
Steven is the UKIP Economics Spokesman. A former lawyer in the City of London who spent the past few years as general counsel for hedge fund managers, he now acts as a legal and regulatory consultant to financial institutions.
“I believe that freedom is a right not a dream and that the European Union has no right to take away a nation’s right to self determination, democratic freedoms and sovereignty by stealth and without consent of the people,” he says. “That is why I campaign that Britain leaves the EU.”
Official web site: www.stevenwoolfe.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/Steven_Woolfe
• The full European Election results can be found here: www.elections2014.eu/en
• Full contact details for all your North West MEPs can be found here: www.europarl.org.uk/en/your_meps/list-meps-by-region/north-west.html (This page had not been updated to reflect all the above MEPs on Monday 26th May