FIVE main political parties will be fielding a total of 34 candidates in the West Midlands for the European elections, which will be held next month.

They will be contesting seven seats and voting will be by proportional representation.

The Labour Party will be fielding eight candidates, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and UK Independence Party seven each and the Green party five.

The actual polling will take place on Thursday, June 10 and the results will be declared the following Sunday. Bromsgrove is part of the West Midlands seat.

Here is a brief round-up of what the different parties stand for and the names of their candidates.

Labour

The Labour party say they want Britain to have a key role in Europe and that a strong Labour team will enable the EU to deliver for Britain.

The party says 60 per cent of UK trade and three million jobs depend upon membership of the EU, which has helped create 1.7million new jobs since 1997.

The Labour party candidates are: Michael CASHMAN; Neena GILL; Sue HAYMAN; Tony CARROLL; Claire EDWARDS; Mohammed NAZIR; Jane HEGGIE; Jim BROWN.

Conservative

The Conservatives say they want Britain to retain a key role in Europe but are concerned that too many powers are being lost.

Brussels

They claim a Labour vote will result in more powers being lost to Brussels but that the Conservatives will make sure the interests of Britain are put first.

Their candidates are: Philip BUSHILL-MATTHEWS; Philip BRADBOURN; Malcolm HARBOUR; Andrew GRIFFITHS; Peter BUTLER; Michael BURNETT; Jeremy LEFROY.

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a more positive approach to Europe, which they say is good for the UK, its economy and environment.

They say active and positive membership enables the UK to have a real influence over the global economy and world problems that would not be possible in isolation.

Their candidates are: Liz LYNNE; Paul TILSLEY; Philip BENNION; Martin TURNER; Lorely BURT; Nicola DAVIES; Mike DIXON; Rebecca ROSEFF; Felicity NORMAN.

The UK

Independence Party

The UK Independence Party is campaigning for a complete withdrawal from Europe. It claims that membership is bad for the economy and involves an "alien" form of government in which the national government of the UK is being taken over by institutions in Brussels.

Its candidates are: Mike NATTRASS; Richard BRADFORD; Denis BROOKES; Richard CHAMINGS; Christopher KINGSLEY; Grenville WARWICK; Andrew MOORE.

The Green Party

The Green party says it has a chance to double its representation in Europe and that it is committed to policies which will protect the environment and result in a "sustainable future." It claims its approach is different to that adopted by any of the other parties.

The Green Party candidates are Chris LENNARD; Tom Hellberg; Barney SMITH; Damon HOPE; David WALL.