Brussels, 27/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - The outgoing British Conservatives hold the best places. We give below an overview of the candidates (in their order on the lists) in the various regions (except Ulster) of the United Kingdom:
East of England: - outgoing Geoffrey Van Orden (59), formerly in the military; - outgoing Robert Sturdy (60), farmer; - outgoing Bashir Khanbhai (59), company director; - outgoing Christopher Beazley (52), teacher, who entered the European Parliament for the first time in 1984; - and Jonathan Morgan (36), architect.
East Midlands: - outgoing Roger Helmer (60), who held various management posts in business and Chambers of Commerce; - outgoing Chris Heaton-harris (36), football umpire; - and Pauling Latham, Derby Town Councillor.
West Midlands: - outgoing Philip Bushill-Matthews (61), company director; - outgoing Philip Bradbourn (53); - outgoing Malcolm Harbour (57), consultant in the automobile sector; - Andrew Griffiths (32), parliamentary assistant.
South East: - outgoing Daniel Hannan (33), journalist; - outgoing Nirj Deva (56), company director; - outgoing James Elles (55), budget specialist, at the EP since 1984; - President of United Milk plc Richard Ashworth (57); - outgoing James Provan (68) at the EP since 1979; and outgoing Roy Perry (61).
South West: - outgoing Neil Parish (48), farmer; - current Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Caroline Jackson (57), historian; - outgoing Giles Chichester (58), Editor; - Richard Graham, former diplomat, also active in the business world; - outgoing The Earl of Stockton (60), editor.
London: - outgoing Theresa Villiers (36), lawyer; - outgoing John Bowis (59), former Health Minister; - outgoing Charles Tannock (47), psychiatrist; - Syed Kamall (35), consultant and author of a book on EU telecommunications policy; - outgoing Richard Balfe (60), who entered the EP in 1979 and has been Quaestor since 1994; - outgoing Ian Twinn (54), who took over from Lord Bethell in September 2003.
Yorkshire and the Humber: - outgoing Timothy Kirkhope (59), jurist; - outgoing Edward McMillan-Scott (55); - Mohammed Riaz, director of a company specialised in care for the elderly; - outgoing Robert Goodwill (47), farmer.
North West: - outgoing Den Dover (66); - outgoing David Sumberg (63), company director; - outgoing Robert Atkins (58), consultant; - outgoing Jacqueline Foster (56), former air hostess; - former President of the musical instruments manufacturers' association, David Newns (57); - Alf Doran (50), retired police officer (constable within Merseyside area for 18 years).
North East: - outgoing Martin Callanan (43), engineer; - co-founder of HomeServe plc, the largest provider of network assistance and repair services in the United Kingdom, Jeremy Middleton (44).
Wales: - outgoing Jonathan Evans (54), lawyer; - Criminal Barrister O.J. Williams.
Scotland: - outgoing Struan Stevenson (56), farmer and currently Chair of the Fisheries Committee; - outgoing John Purvis (66), elected to the EP for the first time in 1979; - Cameron Buchanan, director of a textile company. The Scottish candidates are all members of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.