Record number of candidates to challenge Labour’s Chris Mole

TEN candidates will be battling it out to become MP for Ipswich at the May 6 General Election.

When nominations closed across Suffolk, a number of late entrants had paid their �500 deposit for the opportunity to stand for Parliament.

All seats in Suffolk will have Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UK Independence Party candidates, with the Greens standing in Ipswich, Suffolk Coastal, Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk Central & Ipswich North.

There will be seven candidates in the Suffolk Central & Ipswich North seat but it is Ipswich which is setting something of a modern record for a General Election campaign.

Late entrants into the field were Helen Bright, who is standing for the Liberal Party - the breakaway group which disagreed with the merger of the old Liberal and Social Democrat parties - and Kim Christofi, who will be challenging on behalf of the Christian Party.

The British National Party is fighting Ipswich and Suffolk West.

Candidates have to poll 5% of those who vote to have their �500 deposit

Nominations in alphabetical order:

Ipswich: Dennis Boater (BNP), Helen Bright (Liberal), Kim Christofi (Christian Party), Mark Dyson (LD), Timothy Glover (Green), Ben Gummer (Con), *Christopher Mole (Lab), Chris Streatfield (UKIP), Peter Turtill (Ind), Sally Wainman (Ind).

Suffolk Central & Ipswich North: Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne (LD), Bhavna Joshi (Lab), Roy Philpot (UKIP), Daniel Poulter (Con), Andrew Stringer (Green), Mark Trevitt (Ind), Richard Vass (New Party)

Suffolk Coastal: Stephen Bush (UKIP), Therese Coffey (Con), Daisy Cooper (LD), Rachel Fulcher (Green), Adam Leeder (Lab)

Bury St Edmunds: David Chappell (LD), Mark Ereira-Guyer (Green), Kevin Hind (Lab), John Howlett (UKIP), *David Ruffley (Con)

Suffolk South: Nigel Bennett (LD), Emma Bishton (Lab), David Campbell Bannerman (UKIP), *Tim Yeo (Con)

Suffolk West: Belinda Brooks-Gordon (LD), Matthew Hancock (Con), Ramon Johns (BNP), Ohid Ahmed (Lab), Ian Smith (UKIP)

Waveney: Peter Aldous (Con), Louis Barfe (Ind), *Bob Blizzard (Lab), Alan Dean (LD), Graham Elliott (Green), Jack Tyler (UKIP).

Key: Con (Conservative), Lab (Labour), LD (Liberal Democrat), BNP (British National Party), UKIP (UK Independence Party, Green (Green Party), Ind (Independent).

*MP in the 2005-2010 Parliament seeking re-election