Labour candidate steps down

The Labour candidate for Staffordshire South has stepped down telling party bosses she is unable to take any more time off work.

The election in Staffordshire South was cancelled under electoral rules after the Liberal Democrat candidate died just before the poll. There will now be a by-election.

Penny Barber – who runs a charity – said that although she regretted the decision: “I simply cannot take more time off work to give proper attention to a by-election.”

The local Labour Party will now begin looking for a new candidate.