The names of all candidates for York’s two parliamentary constituencies have been released ahead of next month’s general election.

A total of 18 candidates are standing across York Central and York Outer, nine in each constituency.

Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and the Greens are fielding candidates in both seats with some smaller parties and independents also standing.

It comes as voters are set to head to the polls for the general election on Thursday, July 4.

In York Central, Labour incumbent Rachael Maskell is looking to defend her seat against eight other challengers.

Ms Maskell was first elected to Parliament in 2015.

Alan Page, whose background is in overseas business, is standing as the Liberal Democrat candidate this year.

Small businessman Richard Hudson is running as the Conservative candidate while German-born Lars Kramm, who has a legal background, is standing for the Green Party.

Cliff Bond is Reform UK’s candidate for York Central and independents Ruairi Kendall, Leo Mayne Alasdair Lord and Roger James are also contesting the seat.

This year’s poll comes almost five years after Rachael Maskell held York Central for Labour with 27,312 votes out of 74,899 with turn out of around 66.4 per cent.

In York Outer, Conservative Julian Sturdy is looking to hold the seat he first won for the party in 2010.

Financial services professional Luke Charters is contesting the seat for Labour, with sitting York Haxby and Wigginton ward councillor Andrew Hollyer standing for the Liberal Democrats.

Michael Kearney, a trade unionist in the education sector, is standing for the Green Party and David Eadington is the Yorkshire Party’s candidate.

John Crispin-Bailey, a member of Wigginton Parish Council, is running as the Reform UK candidate.

Hal Mayne, Keith Hayden and Darren Borrows are all standing as independents.

In the 2019 general election, Mr Sturdy held York Outer for the Conservatives with 27,324 votes out of a total of 74,673 cast.

The turn out was around 74.4 per cent.