A HUSBAND and wife from Wickham Market are to contest two neighbouring parliamentary seats in Suffolk at the next General Election on behalf of the anti-European Union UK Independence Party.

By Graham Dines

A HUSBAND and wife from Wickham Market are to contest two neighbouring parliamentary seats in Suffolk at the next General Election on behalf of the anti-European Union UK Independence Party.

John West is to challenge Deputy Commons Speaker Sir Michael Lord in Central Suffolk & North Ipswich, while his wife Alison will be challenging Labour MP Chris Mole in Ipswich,

The couple, both former members of the Conservative Party, have lived in Suffolk for eight years, and campaigned on behalf of television presenter and environmental campaigner David Bellamy when he stood against then Prime Minister John Major for the Referendum Party at the 1997 election,

Mr West, who was born in Enfield, is a former presenter for BBC Radio Lincolnshire and currently writes articles on British folklore and history for Lets Talk magazine.

Mrs West, aged 41, was born in Bolton in Lancashire, where she worked for a residents' association. She has done much voluntary work and is now employed in social care in Suffolk.

They met in 1994 at the House of Commons during a memorial service for Oliver Cromwell and were married two years later.

Mr West said: "We are standing for Parliament because we are concerned that 70% of our laws are being made in Brussels and the European Constitution says EU law will be supreme over British law,

"All the major parties are prepared to accept this situation by remaining in the EU. The British people deserve and want better."

Other candidates already selected are:

Central Suffolk & North Ipswich: Andrew Houseley (Liberal Democrat), Sir Michael Lord (Conservative), Neil MacDonald (Labour).

Ipswich: Chris Mole (Labour), Paul West (Conservative).

UKIP expects to field candidates in all the seats at the election but faces a battle for the anti EU vote from Robert Kilroy-Silk's newly formed Veritas Party, which is preparing to fight every seat in Britain.