Andy Kelly re-selected as Lib Dem candidate

Rochdale Liberal Democrats have unanimously re-selected Councillor Andy Kelly as their Parliamentary Candidate. Andy, who stood in 2015 will continue to lead the local party into the next General Election.

Chair of Rochdale Liberal Democrats David Clayton said: "We are delighted that Andy has agreed to be our candidate again in the next General Election. He has the drive and personality needed to win back the parliamentary seat. As leader of Rochdale Liberal Democrats, he really has punched above his weight on the council. More and more people tell us that it's time for a positive change in Rochdale. Let's face it, we couldn't have a worse MP than we currently have. Despite being suspended from the Labour Party for sending lurid texts to a 17 year old girl, Danczuk is still propped up by Labour councillors."

Speaking of his re-selection, Councillor Andy Kelly said: "I'm delighted that local members here in Rochdale have put their faith in me. It's an honour and privilege to have the chance to represent my home town in Parliament. Over the past year, my caseload as a councillor has rocketed. I have done work for every patch of Rochdale. People are crying out for an MP without the baggage of the current one. I will be an MP who puts our town first and get to grips with the problems that local people face."

Local Lib Dems have stepped up their campaigning across Rochdale. Despite there not being any elections till May, 2018 - they have already started door knocking and leafletting. Andy said: "We have a great team that emerged from the local elections. For anyone who says they only see politicians at Election Time, it's good to speak when we are not asking for anything. Quite the opposite - people really appreciate that. Our team really have a spring in their step and are signing up more and more new members. Our membership has gone up by 20% and is rising daily. I can't remember ever feeling so positive about campaigning. We are delivering real results across Rochdale and the Pennines and that can only be good for our town.