CONSERVATIVE
CONSERVATIVE contender Graham Evans will be fancying his chances to be re-elected as MP for the mid-Cheshire marginal seat of Weaver Vale on June 8.
The former special constable’s constituency straddles a diverse patch encompassing parts of east Runcorn, Daresbury, Frodsham, Helsby and Northwich.
Mr Evans will be looking to win for the third time running, having triumphed in 2015 with 43.2% of the vote and a majority of 806 and after an all-night count in 2010 in which he claimed victory with a 38.5% vote share, leading Labour’s contender John Stockton by 991 votes.
This year’s bid could be helped by the absence of any Ukip candidate standing in Weaver Vale.
His victory in 2010 came as the UK reeled from the world financial crisis and Mr Evans conceded there were ‘mountainous tasks ahead’.
Mr Evans voted to stay in the European Union but has now committed to an exit and has backed Theresa May as offering ‘certainty, stability and strong leadership’.
He has been a fervent proponent of the Conservatives’ economic record, lauding consumer confidence levels remaining ‘high’, ‘record numbers of people in work’ and ‘economic growth that has exceeded all expectations’.
Multiple marathon runner Mr Evans has had sharp words for the Labour party, moving to rubbish them as a party of ‘instability’ bearing the risk of weakening the Government’s EU negotiating position.
At constituency level he has campaigned for improved safety on the M56 motorway between Runcorn and Chester and for driver tolls discounts on the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee Bridges and Mersey Gateway.
He has also hosted annual jobs fairs aimed at providing easy access to potential employers.
Features of his political style include a collegiate cross-party approach on specific local issues.
Mr Evans, originally from Macclesfield, previously based his constituency office in Northwich but later moved to the thriving Sci-Tech Daresbury research and business enterprise and incubator zone.
His 2015 election campaign spending was part of the Electoral Commission and police Tory ‘battlebus’ election spending probe for which MPs including Mr Evans were cleared but resulted in a £70,000 fine for the national party and its treasurer being reported to the police.