THE Barrow and Furness opposition candidates have reacted to the news that there will be a July general election. 

Speaking in front of 10 Downing Street yesterday on May 22, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that there will be a general election on July 4. 

Conservative MP Simon Fell has been in charge of the Barrow and Furness seat since he was elected in 2019. 

Labour candidate Michelle Scrogham, who was the mayor of Ulverston until May, said that it is 'clear that change is needed.' 

She said: "We have the opportunity to wave goodbye to 14 years of Conservative rule.

"I've been out talking to residents for over a year and it's clear that change is needed. I look forward to speaking with many more of you over the coming weeks." 

Mrs Scrogham has previously said she would address infrastructure issues. She said last year: "We can't build businesses here without that infrastructure - make sure we have got things place such as roads and a transport system."

The Green party candidate Lorraine Wrennall said: "It's quite an exciting time to be involved in Green politics - there's a shift going on in people's minds. Looking at people who are traditional Conservatives changing their vote."

Ms Wrennall, who has previously worked in Public Health, said that beyond the climate emergency she would also try to tackle the cost of living crisis and help 'struggling' health and social care services after '14 years of Conservative government.' 

Liberal Democrat Adrian Waite admitted that he was 'surprised' Rishi Sunak had called a summer election when it looked likely it would happen in the autumn or winter. He said that the party was ready anyway as it knew there would be a vote at some point this year.

When asked what the key points to address in Barrow were, he firstly said the economy: "Living standards have stagnated for years and the government need to do something about it." Like Ms Wrennall, he factored in the cost of living crisis. 

He also said that there is a housing shortage in Barrow, and he said 'health and social care is an issue too.' 

Mr Waite previously ran for Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria, coming third behind David Allen and Mike Johnson with 18,100 votes. He said that many of his votes came from the Westmorland and Furness area of the county, and he especially received positive feedback from Barrow residents.