CANDIDATES battling for the last remaining seat in Parliament were quizzed by residents of Malton last night.

Scores of people filled the pews at St Michael’s Church, in Market Place, Malton, to listen to what the five prospective parliamentary candidates had to say.

Voters in the new Thirsk and Malton constituency will go to the polls next Thursday, unlike those in the rest of the country who cast their vote on May 6.

The delay was due to the death of the UKIP candidate, John Boakes, who has now been replaced by John Horton.

He will go head-to-head with John Clark for the Liberals, Howard Keal, for the Liberal Democrats, Anne McIntosh, for the Conservatives and Jonathan Roberts, for Labour.

In her opening speech, Miss McIntosh, who was previously an MP for the former Vale of York constituency, said her two main priorities were supporting the farming community and being a voice for the countryside.

She said she had a good track record as a constituency MP and had won successful campaigns to introduce flood defences in Boroughbridge and road safety improvements in Easingwold.

Mr Keal, a Ryedale councillor, also pointed to his successful local campaigns, including bringing a £9.5 million flood defence scheme to Malton and Norton, as well as the town’s long-awaited sports centre, which is now being built.

Meanwhile, Mr Roberts promised to hold weekly surgeries and quarterly public meetings if he was elected.

He said: “This is so you can hold me to account, but also so you can come and present your own ideas.”

Mr Horton said his main priority would be to rebuild the traditional industries of fishing, farming, coal mining and textiles, and he said the only way to do this would be for Britain to leave the European Union.

Meanwhile, Mr Clark denounced last year’s parliamentary expenses scandal and vowed he would work tirelessly to clean up politics.