Liberal Democrat candidates, as voted on by their members all across the North West and following the election count on April 16th.
1 Chris Davies
Chris Davies was Liberal Democrat MEP for the North West, 1999-2014. Twice named ‘Parliamentarian of the Year’ for his work in the environmental field he introduced the EU’s largest funding mechanism to combat climate change by supporting low CO2 technologies. From 2020 this will be known as the EU Innovation Fund and is expected to be worth more than €10 billion.
The campaign group he established, ‘Fish for the Future’, helped introduce sustainability principles into the EU Common Fisheries Policy. To promote his argument he is the only MEP ever to have dressed as a fish in the European Parliament!
He also introduced the legislation that has led to graphic photographs and images being used to supplement written health warnings on cigarette packs and which have contributed to the continuing fall in the number of people smoking.
Chris Davies was MP for Littleborough & Saddleworth 1995-97, and was a Liverpool councillor 1980-84, serving as chairman of the city’s housing committee and introducing a range of innovative policies to address homelessness and promote housing diversity.
A competitive runner for more than 50 years, he achieved 2nd place in the British fell running championships last year (over 60 category).
2 Jane Brophy
Jane Brophy is an NHS Allied Health Professional working in the field of Dietetics, specialising in diabetes treatment. She is a member of the British Dietetic Association board and holds a degree in Biochemistry.
Jane Brophy has been elected as a Metropolitan Borough Councillor in Trafford for 19 years. Jane was a Parliamentary Candidate for North West England in the 2014 European Election promoting policies to tackle public health and climate change issues, and was the Liberal Democrat Greater Manchester Metro Mayoral Candidate in 2017. She was parliamentary candidate for Altrincham and Sale West at the last three general elections.
Jane is an executive member of the Green Liberal Democrats.
3 Helen Foster Grime
Helen Foster-Grime is a Stockport Metropolitan Borough councillor and is Chair of the Cheadle Liberal Democrats. As a candidate in the 2009 and 2014 European Elections, Helen has fought to help make the EU a driving force for the regeneration of the North West.Helen has a degree in Law and International Studies and is fluent in several languages.
4 Anna Fryer
Dr Anna Fryer is a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist working closely with many other specialists including social care. Anna is an expert in Mental Health law and Mental Capacity law, has worked across Greater Manchester and is now based at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral.
Anna Fryer is from several generations of farmers in Cumbria and indeed was a young farmer.
Anna joined the Liberal Democrats in 2015 and organised a Lib Dem conference event with doctors, highlighting the issues behind the junior doctors’ strike. She was parliamentary candidate in Stretford and Urmston in 2017.
5 Sam Al-Hamdani
A former environmental journalist, Sam Al-Hamdani has considerable experience in international government, having worked for the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization. He currently works for an organisation promoting fairer taxes.
Sam is Chair of the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Liberal Democrats.
6 Rebecca Forrest
Rebecca Forrest grew up on the Wirral and has lived and worked across the North West. She has studied nursing and worked as a care assistant. Rebecca also has experience as a paralegal and has worked in the insurance industry.
She holds an Applied Psychology degree and a masters degree in Neuroimaging for Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience. Rebecca now works in Bolton as a secondary school teacher specialising in science and A-level psychology.
In her free time Rebecca has competed in fencing, trained with the Liverpool Roller Birds roller derby team, volunteered with Brownie and Rainbow Girl Guide Groups and has frequently been found spending hours at a time in bookshops.
Rebecca joined the Liberal Democrats in 2016 and stood as the parliamentary candidate for Bolton West in 2017.
7 John Studholme
John Studholme is a former Chair of South Lakeland District Council, and Mayor of Kendal.
John organised the Cumbria IN campaign to Remain in Europe in 2016 and has been heavily involved in promoting the European Movement in the North West, taking the initiative to set up branches in both Manchester and Liverpool. He is a retired chartered surveyor.
8 Frederick Van Mierlo
Originally from Preston, Frederick van Mierlo is a Director of a Brussels-based strategy consultancy, where he works with NGOs, foundations and multinationals on European health and environmental policy. He is a specialist in health policy across Europe, raising awareness of the need for greater investment in oncology and rare diseases.
Frederick also has considerable expertise on EU environmental policy and holds degrees in European Studies from Leiden University (Netherlands) and Geographical Sciences from the University of Bristol.
Frederick was the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Fylde at both the 2015 and 2017 general elections.