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The Green Party has a new candidate in place for the Wetherby & Easingwold constituency.

Arnold Warneken has been selected to replace Anna Jacobs who was the previous candidate, but who has stood down for personal reasons.

He is currently North Yorkshire Councillor for Ouseburn, chair of Tockwith Parish Council, and lives in Cowthorpe, all within the constituency.

Mr Warneken was first elected in 1991 to Harrogate District Council. In May 2022 he was elected to North Yorkshire County Council with 69% of the vote, in the Ouseburn Division.

He has stood in Westminster elections three times before, once in Harrogate, and twice in Selby & Ainsty, where in July 2023 he came third out of 13 candidates, beaten only by Labour and Conservatives.

He runs an organic food distribution business.

“Wetherby & Easingwold is a completely new constituency, bridging two local authorities, and so it will need a competent MP to satisfy the differing needs of the urban and rural communities,” Mr Warneken said.

“For the last two years I have acquired a reputation of getting things done where others give up. I have tackled residents’ problems and achieved many positive results.”

“The issues I have failed to fix are those where government policies are to blame, and that is why I want to be a Green voice at Westminster, to put an end to austerity, and to hold the new government to account, preventing any further U-turns on people- and planet-centred policies.”

“Green policies are made to benefit ordinary people, whilst safeguarding our natural environment which we depend on for our food, clean air, safe housing, jobs, and recreation.”