May 19, 2017 8.25 am This story is over 81 months old

General election 2017: Great Grimsby MP candidates

Five candidates are standing to become the next MP for Great Grimsby in the general election on June 8. The constituency, held by Labour since 1945, is one of the seats which has a strong chance of turning Conservative on June 8. Current Labour MP Melanie Onn, who was elected in 2015, is defending a…

Five candidates are standing to become the next MP for Great Grimsby in the general election on June 8.

The constituency, held by Labour since 1945, is one of the seats which has a strong chance of turning Conservative on June 8.

Current Labour MP Melanie Onn, who was elected in 2015, is defending a majority of 4,540 from the Conservatives.

The town’s MP was previously ITV broadcaster Austin Mitchell, who represented the constituency for 38 years.

Before that, the MP was former Foreign Secretary Tony Crosland.

Onn’s biggest challenge will come from Conservative candidate Jo Gideon, who unsuccessfully stood in Scunthorpe in 2015.

The Conservatives previously selected current Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones and Victoria Ayling (who later defected to UKIP) as its candidates in 2015 and 2010.

UKIP has selected MEP Mike Hookem as its candidate, who has already courted controversy for comments he made on social media describing Grimsby as “poor” and “full of working class people”.

This is not the first time the 63-year-old, who serves as UKIP’s fisheries spokesperson, has courted controversy.

The tweet was published just days after his now notorious “altercation” with his then UKIP colleague in the European Parliament, Steven Woolfe.

The incident led to Woolfe being rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Hookem has repeatedly insisted that he did not strike Woolfe, describing the incident as a “tussle”.

The remaining candidates are Steve Beasant for the Liberal Democrats and Independent Christina McGilligan-Fell.

Candidates in full:

  • Steve Beasant – Lib Dem
  • Jo Gideon – Conservative
  • Mike Hookem – UKIP
  • Christina McGilligan-Fell – Independent
  • Melanie Onn – Labour

For more information on polling stations and dates for your diary, see the Lincolnshire Reporter guide here.