A CANDIDATE standing for the Shipley seat in the General Election says she is fully committed to the constituency.

London-based Women’s Equality Party leader Sophie Walker, 45, is running against Philip Davies, who has held the seat since 2005, in the poll on Thursday, June 8.

It is the first time the mother-of-four, who is a former journalist, has stood for a political seat.

She started her election campaign at an event held at Tambourine Coffee in Shipley tonight.

Mr Davies has dismissed the Women’s Equality Party’s decision to put up a candidate to contest his seat in the General Election as a “publicity stunt”.

But Ms Walker said: “I am fully committed to the people of Shipley. I find it odd that he is calling this a publicity stunt.

“We want to represent and listen to the men of Shipley too. We want more male primary school teachers.

“Mr Davies’s party has cut funding to vital services in Shipley, including to childcare services.

“I was born 50 miles away from Shipley in Blackpool. I have family in Yorkshire, so I spend a lot of time here. I will be fighting this seat on local issues.”

Ms Walker criticised Mr Davies’s previous comments about women.

She added: “When he talks about feminism he seems to portray it as an extremist movement.”

Mr Davies, a Conservative, has welcomed the announcement.

He said: “She is very welcome. I am a democrat. The more people stand the better. I’m very happy for her to stand in Shipley.”

The Women’s Equality Party was set up by comedian and TV presenter Sandi Toksvig and Catherine Mayer in 2015, who said there was a need for a political party in the United Kingdom to campaign for gender equality to the benefit of all.

Meanwhile, the Shipley Feminist Zealots has published an open letter stating that despite opposing Mr Davies it will not be backing any of his opponents in the election.

It states: “Of course we want to see Philip Davies unseated, and our members may campaign for opposition parties as they wish.

“As a collective, however, we will not be endorsing or promoting a particular party, and ask all candidates to stop associating with our name.”

The Zealot group’s name is a reference to a speech Mr Davies made last year, in which he criticised “feminist zealots” who only wanted equality when it suited them.

In an open letter to the group, Mr Davies said he has only ever argued for men and women to be treated equally.

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