Rotherham by-election candidate list

The Rotherham by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting MP Denis MacShane.

Mr MacShane, Labour MP for the South Yorkshire town since 1994, stepped down on 2 November after he wrongly claimed at least £7,500 in expenses.

Polling takes place on 29 November between 7:00 and 22:00 GMT.

The candidates in alphabetical order:

• MICHAEL BECKETT - Liberal Democrats

• CLINT BRISTOW - Independent

• SARAH CHAMPION - Labour

• JANE COLLINS - UK Independence Party

• SIMON COPLEY - Independent

• PAUL DICKSON - Independent

• RALPH DYSON - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

• MARLENE GUEST - British National Party

• YVONNE RIDLEY - Respect

• DAVID WILDGOOSE - English Democrats

• SIMON WILSON - Conservative

Find out more about each of these candidates below.

MICHAEL BECKETT - Liberal Democrats

Mr Beckett said he had a track record of standing up for others

Liberal Democrat candidate Michael Beckett lives in Norton, North Yorkshire, and is a self-employed business development contractor.

Mr Beckett was the party's candidate for Dudley North at the general election in 2010.

He said his experience previously working for the Citizens Advice Bureau and in the NHS shows his "track record of standing up for others".

"The people of Rotherham have little to show for so many years of Labour in power here. I don't think Labour should be rewarded for this behaviour," Mr Beckett said.

CLINT BRISTOW - Independent

Clint Bristow lives in Doncaster and is a member of the English Defence League.

Mr Bristow said he is standing on the issue of the sexual exploitation of young girls in Rotherham, describing it as "a stain on our area that has to be dealt with".

SARAH CHAMPION - Labour

Ms Champion said she would put Rotherham first

Labour Party candidate Sarah Champion lives in Dronfield, North East Derbyshire.

She has been chief executive of the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in North Anston, Rotherham, since 2008.

Ms Champion said she would "always put Rotherham first" and said the government was "utterly out of touch".

"It's not fair that working families and pensioners in Rotherham are being hit hard while at the same time Cameron and Osborne are dishing out a huge tax cut for millionaires," she said.

JANE COLLINS - UK Independence Party

Ms Collins said youth unemployment is a major issue in Rotherham

Jane Collins, from UKIP, currently lives in the Haltemprice and Howden constituency and has a teenage daughter.

Ms Collins is the regional organiser for UKIP in Yorkshire and was the party's candidate for Barnsley Central at last year's by-election.

She said: "Rotherham has many problems that are not being addressed either by Labour or by the coalition which makes promise after promise which it cannot keep".

Ms Collins said youth unemployment is a major issue in Rotherham, and that it "has been made far worse by the number of new migrants from Eastern Europe."

SIMON COPLEY - Independent

Mr Copley said he would fight corruption

Independent candidate Simon Copley lives in Rotherham. He is a charity fundraiser and leader at Herringthorpe Unite Reformed Church.

Mr Copley said he is standing as the "moderate alternative", and understands "what ordinary people in Rotherham are facing".

"I will do my best to fight corruption, speak out for justice on tax, call for investment in health, education and young people, oppose racism and division," he added.

Mr Copley also said he would try to "fix the problem" of the sexual exploitation of children in Rotherham.

PAUL DICKSON - Independent

Mr Dickson said he would donate his salary to charity

Paul Dickson lives in Northumberland and describes himself as a self-employed businessman.

He said he is standing "against greed", whether that is MPs wrongly claiming expenses or corporations avoiding tax.

Mr Dickson said he believes "a lot of MPs see their position not as a social one, but as their own personal gravy train", and said he would be donating his first year's salary as an MP to "constituency issues and charitable organisations".

He added that uncollected taxes "would ease the pressure on our essential services, such as welfare, NHS and policing".

RALPH DYSON - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Mr Dyson said he would support a general strike

Ralph Dyson lives in Barnsley and is standing as the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition candidate.

He said he would stand under the slogan "a workers' MP on a worker's wage", and would support a general strike against government cuts.

A former miner, Mr Dyson was the National Union of Teachers' official who led strike action at Rawmarsh Community School and is the joint divisional secretary of the union's Rotherham branch.

Mr Dyson said: "We need to fight the Tory cuts and austerity, end corruption at the top and stop the racists and fascists peddling their filthy lies."

MARLENE GUEST - British National Party

Mrs Guest said she wanted to see British jobs for British workers

British National Party candidate Marlene Guest lives in Rotherham.

She stood as a candidate for the party in the general elections in 2010 and 2005, and in the 2009 European elections.

Mrs Guest said her priorities include "British jobs for British workers", leaving the EU, and pushing for a "sons and daughters first policy in housing allocation".

She said she would donate part of her salary to "good causes" in Rotherham.

YVONNE RIDLEY - Respect

Ms Ridley said she wanted to see a "Rotherham Revival"

Respect candidate Yvonne Ridley lives in Scotland.

She is a former journalist, and was kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. She later converted to Islam.

Ms Ridley said she has "working class roots" and holds "true socialist values".

She added: "If you do elect me I will not be taking any personal expenses at all. I think that there's been enough greed coming from the previous MP."

DAVID WILDGOOSE - English Democrats

Mr Wildgoose said England should have its own parliament

David Wildgoose, of the English Democrats, lives in Sheffield.

He stood as a candidate for the party in the European election in 2009, and has previously stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in general elections.

Mr Wildgoose said he is "opposed to multi-culturalism" and that "it is simply wrong that England is suffering cuts in order to give extra money to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the EU and even in foreign aid".

The party said it supports withdrawing from the EU, "cutting red tape" in the NHS, and opposes illegal immigration and "political correctness".

SIMON WILSON - Conservative

Mr Wilson said he would work to attract investment into Rotherham

Conservative candidate Simon Wilson lives in Normanton, West Yorkshire, and is married with grown-up children.

Mr Wilson is a businessman in the transport industry and has previously been a councillor in Wakefield.

He said the private sector would lead the economic recovery, promising to "work tirelessly to attract investment into Rotherham".

"I aim to demonstrate that not all politicians are the same, by showing the values I hold dearly: Family life, hard work, honesty, integrity and fairness," he added.