Tories select entrepreneur to fight new constituency
ACONSETT councillor and entrepreneur has been chosen to stand as a parliamentary candidate in a newly formed North East constituency.
Angela Sterling, the Conservative councillor for Delves Lane, will vie for the seat in the new Blaydon and Consett constituency at the next General Election.
Coun Sterling’s candidacy received a public nod of approval from Richard Holden, the current MP for North West Durham.
The endorsement suggests that the Conservative party chairman will not be contesting a seat in the North East, hinting at his plans to run elsewhere.
On X, previously known as Twitter, Mr Holden wrote: “I first met Angela when she and another local mam got in touch with me about speeding near a local park a year or so after I was elected. Just wanting to serve her community, I persuaded Angela and that other local mam, Michelle, to run to be councillors in Delves Lane, a seat that had never been anything but Labour.
“They fought hard with a bit of help from the local team and me and they made history and won!
“Angela has been an excellent councillor ever since and also manages her own small businesses, which continue to thrive.
“She would be a fantastic MP.” The existing North West Durham constituency, won by Mr Holden in 2019, is set to be divided up between four seats after a national boundary review.
Earlier this year, Mr Holden told ITV that he remains “bloody loyal to the North East”, despite his decision not to contest any of the constituencies replacing his seat at the general election.
Other candidates who have been announced for the Blaydon and Consett seat are current Blaydon Labour MP Liz Twist, Liberal Democrat Vicky Anderson and Mark Ayre, of Reform.