James is the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Stoke-on-Trent South.

He is a truly local candidate who is passionate about the regeneration of Stoke-on-Trent. James lives locally with his wife and daughter. He went to local schools and Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College in Fenton before studying at London University. James is a qualified Chartered Accountant, working for one of the largest firms in the region at their office in Stoke-on-Trent. As an accountant and business advisor he works with both local and international businesses. James also has connections across the community in addition to his close business links - he is a school governor, has links with Staffordshire University, and is involved with a local hospice and also a charity that provides sailing opportunities to people who live with a disability.

James decided to "put up or shut up" because, as a local, he felt let down by the lack of visible leadership by the local Labour MPs. He believes that regeneration efforts have been too little and too late. In addition, he is deeply worried that further BNP gains would damage the reputation of Stoke-on-Trent to the extent that it would deter private sector investment.

His key areas of focus as the MP for Stoke-on-Trent South would be;

• Regeneration - to encourage investment in quality jobs for a highly skilled and committed work force

• Raising youth aspiration - his recent experiences with Mitchell High School as a business mentor further highlighted the extent of potential talent that we have in our young people. He recognises that to regenerate the City we need to raise the skills, experiences and aspirations of our young people.

James has the personality, passion, enthusiasm and experience to make a real difference to improve the prospects of the City. He is committed to raising the prospects of the whole community. He is a candidate that will listen and who promises to be accessible to his constituents.

You can contact James at james@rushton4stoke.net. All correspondence will be answered within 48hours.