The Yorkshire Party has selected Mike Jordan, a local councillor, to contest the Selby and Ainsty by-election. Cllr Jordan represents the Camblesforth and Carlton ward on North Yorkshire council, which lies entirely within the constituency. He previously stood for the Yorkshire Party in Selby and Ainsty at the 2019 general election, where he gained one of the Party’s highest-ever votes in a Westminster contest.

Cllr Jordan has served as a councillor for 16 years and lives in Sherburn-in-Elmet. His policy priorities for the election are tackling the housing crisis by supporting the right developments in the right places, including social housing, getting better public transport for the area, and making sure that solar and wind farms can be developed without adversely affecting quality farmland.

Underpinning these priorities is his belief in the Yorkshire Party’s core policy of a regional Yorkshire parliament, with the same kind of guaranteed funding and powers that the Scottish parliament has. Such a parliament would be a powerful lobbying voice, both to London and also for inward investment, would boost public spending in the region, and would allow Yorkshire folk to take the decisions directly affecting Yorkshire.

Cllr Jordan said: “Nothing is achievable without real local powers. Yorkshire needs a Regional Parliament, controlling a fair budget. Vote for it and make London listen. When the Yorkshire Party wins, Yorkshire wins.”

“I believe Selby and Ainsty – and the whole country – has been let down by two London-based parties that have consistently either taken places like this for granted or ignored them altogether. We need a change and I ask the voters in the constituency to back the Yorkshire Party and help me make that change.”

In addition to his council duties, Mike Jordan is also Chairman of the Mark 1 Ford Cortina Owners
Club.