As the Advertiser went to press 13 Parliamentary constituency candidates had declared they would stand against Labour Party leader Tony Blair in his Sedgefield constituency in the General Election on Thursday, May 5. Nominations for the election are now closed.

The candidates are: Berony Anne Abraham (Independent), Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (Labour Party), Cherri Blairout-Gilham (Pensioners Party), Julian Fraser Brennan (Independent), William John Brown (We Want Our Country Back), Robert Woodthorpe Browne (Liberal Democrats), James McQueen Cockburn (The Blair Must Go Party), Mark Neville Farrell (National Front Britain For The British), Helen John (Independent), Reginald Thomas Keys (Independent), Alan John Lockwood (Conservative Party), Fiona Christina Luckhurst-Matthews (Veritas), Terence William Pattinson (Senior Citizens Party), Melodie Elizabeth Staniforth (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party)

l Nominations for candidates to stand for election in Darlington came to an end this week. At the time of the Advertiser going to press, the list of people contesting the seat was:

Robert Moray Adamson (Liberal Democrats), David Edward Davies (Veritas), Anthony Paul Frieze (Conservative), John Joseph Hoodless (UK Independence Party) and Alan Milburn (Labour).

The 63 seats on Durham County Council are being contested on the same day. Seats on Darlington Borough Council are not being contested.