Councillor quits Tories for Reform UK party and will stand as their candidate in General Election

 

Cllr Oliver Freeston - will he be next MP for Grimsby and Cleethorpes?

VOTES cast for a sitting North East Lincolnshire councillor could determine the outcome of the poll for the Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency  at the General Election.

Cllr Oliver Freeston, a prison officer, was elected to the Croft Baker ward in Cleethorpes as a Conservative.

But it emerged today that he had switched allegiance to Reform UK and will stand as their candidate against sitting Conservative MP  Lia Nici and Labour's Melanie Onn on July 4.

It is thought that the Liberal-Democrats will also field a candidate, and various Independents may also enter in the fray.

Political pundits reckon  that Reform UK will pick up most of its votes from disaffected Conservative voters, but Labour will also be mindful of the threat.