PARLIAMENTARY candidates standing in Warrington North faced off in a debate this afternoon, Friday.

The Warrington Guardian hosted the event at its offices at Centre Park, which follows yesterday’s Warrington South pre-General Election debate.

Reporter Aran Dhillon chaired the event between Labour’s Charlotte Nichols, Tory Wendy Maisey, the Brexit Party’s Elizabeth Babade, the Green Party’s Lyndsay McAteer and Liberal Democrat Cllr Bob Barr, who stepped in for David Crowther as he was unable to attend.

The politicians discussed a range of issues including Brexit, calls for a new hospital and Peel Hall.

Labour is defending a majority of 9,582 in the constituency.

WATCH THE DEBATE HERE:

Ms Nichols slammed the ‘political choice’ of Tory austerity over the last decade.

She said it has heaped misery on the lives of many and left people queuing outside foodbanks and pensioners freezing in their homes.

She added: “Labour is offering a transformative vision of hope for the country but also this community. If you want the community to thrive, you have to vote Labour on December 12.”

Ms Maisey says a vote for the Brexit Party next week would split the Leave vote and could result in people being left with a Jeremy Corbyn administration following the election.

She said: “Austerity has been difficult, nobody will deny that, but with Mr Corbyn’s itinerary of £1.2 trillion in borrowing it will happen again, whoever has to pick up the pieces, and it won’t just be our generation who will be paying the price, it will be the price of our children and their children as well.”

Ms Babade insists her party is committed to fighting for Brexit despite ‘all of the shenanigans’ of the EU and the Tories.

She said: “If you still believe in Brexit – and I’m speaking to all those that have decided that they are sick of politics, they are sick of politicians and they are not coming out to vote on Thursday – don’t give up on Brexit, it can still happen, put your trust in the Brexit Party.”

Ms McAteer told residents ‘only the Greens will hold other politicians to account’.

She said: “Only the Greens can offer you a radical green agenda through the green new deal, in order to take action on the climate emergency and together we can create a future which is fair and just for all.”

Cllr Barr highlighted the importance of delivering a ‘balanced’ Parliament and urged voters not to give their vote to any candidate who is likely to help deliver an overall majority for Labour or the Conservatives, who he believes ‘are no longer fit to govern this country alone’.

He said: “I can’t believe for a second that a Corbyn-led Government is going to bring the country together, nor can I believe that a Boris Johnson-led Government is going to bring the country together.”