Reform UK selects Runcorn candidate to challenge Labour at by-election

Reform UK has selected its candidate to challenge Labour in the first by-election of this Parliament, after former MP Mike Amesbury stood down following his assault conviction.

Sarah Pochin, a former Conservative councillor and mayor for Cheshire East, will be the insurgent right-wing party’s candidate for the upcoming Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

The by-election follows Amesbury’s decision to stand down rather than face a recall petition after he received a 10-week prison sentence, suspended on appeal, for punching a constituent last year.

Amesbury, who was suspended by the Labour Party following his arrest, pleaded guilty to the offence.

The by-election is the first major test of public opinion following last summer’s general election, and offers Reform UK a chance to prove whether its opinion polling lead can be converted into electoral success.

Ms Pochin claimed the constituency had been “failed by successive Labour representatives” as her candidacy was announced.

“Now is their chance to elect someone that can fight their corner in Westminster and deliver the regeneration that we desperately need,” she said.

The Reform candidate added: “Reform UK stands for family, community and country – values that I have dedicated my life to upholding.

Ms Pochin has lived in Cheshire for nearly 30 years, served as a magistrate, and had a “successful career in private business” working for Shell International and later in the DIY sector, according to Reform.

She was previously as a Cheshire East borough councillor, and served for two terms between 2015 and 2023.

Ms Pochin was expelled from the Conservative party in 2020, after a bust-up over her candidacy to become mayor and council chairman of Cheshire East, according to the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She served in that role between 2021 and 2022.

Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage MP said: “Sarah is a great candidate who has enjoyed a successful career in private business and has represented the local community as a magistrate for the past 20 years.

“She has honourably resigned from that role to fight this by-election for Reform UK. Vote for a lawmaker, not a lawbreaker in Runcorn and Helsby.”

Sean Houlston was announced as the Tory candidate for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election earlier in March, vowing to “stand up for our area”.

He and Ms Pochin once appeared together in a photograph posted on his Twitter account in 2018, when they were both campaigning on behalf of now-Tory parliamentarian Kieran Mullan, ahead of his election as MP for Crewe and Nantwich in 2019.

Labour has selected Cheshire West and Chester councillor Karen Shore as its candidate, while the Greens will stand local councillor Chris Copeman, who came fourth in the seat in the general election.