EURO MP LIZ LYNNE DELIGHT AS LIBDEMS BACK HER FOR THIRD TERM

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 12th Nov 2007

West Midlands county Liberal Democrat Euro MP Liz Lynne has thanked party members after she won overwhelming support to head up the party's next European Parliamentary Candidate list in the West Midlands region.

The results of a postal ballot of four thousand members across the region have been announced in London after a count at the weekend. Liz Lynne received over 70 per cent of first preference votes to take the top slot in the party's list for the next European Parliament elections, due to be held in May 2009. She has been the LibDem MEP for the West Midlands region, including West Midlands county, since 1999.

Second place on the list was won by Staffordshire farming expert and Lichfield councillor Dr Phil Bennion, a former vice chair of Staffordshire NFU and agricultural adviser to Charles Kennedy.

The third spot was secured by former Stratford Council leader and Parliamentary Candidate Dr Susan Juned.

Speaking from the European Parliament in session at Strasbourg today, Liz said:

"I am delighted to have been re-selected so convincingly by local LibDem members. Our candidate list is chosen by the members and not by party headquarters nationally.

"I am also pleased the members have democratically elected such a strong team of candidates to stand with me at the next European elections. We have every chance of winning a second MEP to stand up for a more democratic and decentralised EU and to fight for the West Midlands region in the next European Parliament."

ENDS

Note: The candidates were elected using the Single Transferable Vote system by Liberal Democrat members in the West Midlands region.

European Parliamentary elections will be held in May 2009 using a proportional party list system. Liz Lynne was first elected LibDem MEP here in 1999, and the party doubled its vote in the last European election in 2004 and has high hopes of getting a second MEP elected in 2009.