THE man hoping to oust the Conservatives’ David Nuttall in the marginal seat of Bury North has been backed by one of his competitors from the last election.

John Southworth, who stood for the Greens in 2015, said the only way to remove the Tories was to vote for Labour candidate James Frith.

The announcement follows the decision by the Green Party not to field candidates in either Bury seat.

Instead the Greens will work to ‘build a strong anti-Tory movement’.

Mr Southworth, said: “As a local resident who wants to make sure that Bury North gets the best possible deal over the next Parliament, it is right that we put political party interests to one side to make sure that we elect an MP who will fight for our interests in Westminster.

“Over the last seven years, David Nuttall has proven time and again that he is happy to ignore the interests of Bury North residents in favour of toeing the Tory Government line and protecting his reputation as a loyal party man.

“Bury North deserves an MP who, first and foremost, will prioritise the protection of our A&Es, schools and other key public services, as well as defend our Green Belt and oppose fracking.

“If David Nuttall is elected for a third time, all of these things will play second fiddle to the Government’s agenda. Unlike David Nuttall, James Frith is invested in Bury North.

“He lives here, he works here, and he is committed to putting us first. He is the best candidate for the job”.

Mr Southworth’s comments go even further than Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Baum, who urged voters to ‘think who to vote for and who will win the election’ and reminded voters of the tight margins last time.

Mr Frith lost out by just 378 votes in 2015, to Mr Nuttall. Mr Baum and Mr Southworth picked up 2,073 votes between them.

Mr Nuttall was unmoved by the actions of his opponents.

He said: “It’s just an alliance against the Conservatives, that’s what it boils down to.

“I don’t mind, I just put the positive case for voting for Theresa May and the Conservatives.

“I haven’t made any deals with anybody and I would never presume that one person could decide what thousands of others could do at the ballot box.

“Maybe they think differently.”

Mr Nuttall hopes a range of voters from UKIP to the Greens will vote for him in the absence of those parties in Bury North.

Voters will take to the polls on June 8 to elect their MPs.

Residents have until Monday to make sure they are on the electoral register and entitled to vote in the general election.

The closing date for requesting a postal vote is Tuesday.

In both instances email electionservices@bury.gov.uk and call 0161 253 5252.