IT could not have been further from a Taliban prison in Afghanistan - peaceful Sedgefield on a sunny day.

But peace campaigner Yvonne Ridley, the former Daily Express chief reporter captured at the start of the war with Afghanistan, was in Tony Blair's constituency yesterday to launch her political career.

The journalist, who started her career on The Northern Echo, is to stand as a candidate in the European elections in June.

Ms Ridley, along with fellow candidates Dave Stewart, a mechanical engineer, and Yunus Bakhsh, a nurse and union representative, are standing for the Respect coalition.

Respect - which stands for respect, equality, socialism, peace, environment, community and trade unionism - aims to fill what they see as a vacuum in the political left.

For more information about Respect, visit the website on www.respectcoalition.org.

Ms Ridley will take part in a hustings event on the Middle East, in Durham City's Town Hall at 7.30pm tonight. Everyone is welcome to attend.