The former chair of Halton's Conservatives will be standing for election next week - but for a different party.

The borough goes to the polls on Thursday, May 2 to choose councillors for 18 council seats across Halton.

One of those standing will be Danny Clarke. Mr Clarke has stood several times for the Conservatives since 2015 and was the local party's chairman, but will be representing the Liberal Party in the vote for Beechwood & Heath.

A political blast from the past and not to be confused with the Liberal Democrats, the  Liberal Party was founded in 1989 as a continuation of the original Liberal Party by members who opposed its merger with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to form the Liberal Democrats. It currently holds three council seats in Liverpool and two elsewhere in England.

Mr Clarke said: "The Conservative Party has lost its identity.  It's not the same party I joined more than 10 years ago. My political views have remained the same, which is far more than I can say for the party.

"It pains me to have walked away from the party, and it pains me to say that the party needs to and deserves to loose the upcoming general election.

"I don't want to be miss-understood or mistaken for wanting a Labour government. Sunak was never democratically elected by party members, does not matter who the leader is at this stage as it's too late to turn things around before the election."

He said he will also be standing for the Liberal Party as an MP candidate at the next General Election, whenever it is called by Rishi Sunak.

He added: "The Liberal party I am standing with is the same Liberal Party that Gladstone was party leader of and Prime Minister in the late 1800s."

A third of Halton's seats are being contested this year. As well as the Liberal Party - Labour, Greens, Lib Dems, Conservatives and Reform UK and a number of independents will be running.

A full list of candidates and their respective wards can be found here.