A Consett county councillor has been selected to stand as a parliamentary candidate in a new North East seat which encompasses her town. 

Angela Sterling, Conservative member for Delves Lane, will contest the new Blaydon and Consett constituency in the upcoming General Election. 

The local businesswoman was first elected in May 2021. 

Cllr Sterling’s selection was publicly endorsed by the current MP for North West Durham, Richard Holden. It means the Conservative party chairman is not standing for a seat in the North East and is likely to seek election elsewhere. 

Mr Holden wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “I first met Angela when she and another local mam got in touch with me about speeding near a local park a year or so after I was elected. Just wanting to serve her community, I persuaded Angela and that other local mam, Michelle, to run to be councillors in Delves Lane - a seat that had never been anything but Labour.

“They fought hard - with a bit of help from the local team and me - and they made history and won! Angela has been a superb councillor since and runs her own small businesses too, which goes from strength to strength.”

The Northern Echo: The local businesswoman was first elected in May 2021. The local businesswoman was first elected in May 2021. (Image: Durham County Council)Cllr Sterling was selected to introduce Rishi Sunak to Conservative voters at a hustings event in Darlington in 2022 before the prime minister lost to Liz Truss. 

Mr Holden added: “She would be a fantastic MP and I’m proud to call her a friend as well as a rock-solid political colleague who serves her people to get stuff done. I hope that the people of Consett and Blaydon give her their support when the General Election comes.”

The current North West Durham constituency is being split into the four surrounding seats, as part of a national boundary review. 

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Mr Holden told ITV earlier this year that he is “bloody loyal to the North East", despite choosing not to stand in any of the local constituencies that will replace his seat at the general election. They include Bishop Auckland, North Durham, City of Durham, and Blaydon and Consett. 

Other candidates announced for the Blaydon and Consett constituency are Liz Twist (Labour), Vicky Anderson (Liberal Democrat) and Mark Ayre (Reform). 

Richard Holden MP and Cllr Angela Sterling were contacted for comment.