Another would-be Worcester MP throws his hat into the ring at city's pub hustings

Mark Shuker, 38, who lives in the Tallow Hill area of the city, turned up at Worcester's Cap 'N' Gown pub to throw his hat into the ring as an independent candidate.

The qualified engineer, who is now a self-employed construction worker, says he is worried too many jobs are low paid ones like in supermarkets.

Addressing the crowd, he told them his main concern is the creation of better-skilled engineering roles instead.

He also revealed that he has just quit the Lib Dems and decided to go it alone.

Last night the pub's latest General Election hustings saw the candidates debate 'Britain's place in the world'.

Mr Shuker, pictured, originally from Wiltshire, said: "I was a Lib Dem but now I'm independent, I'm bred in the West Midlands, I live here and I want to stand.

"When I left school I did an engineering apprenticeship and as my career progressed I saw the good jobs go.

"In Worcester, with all these supermarkets planned I'm concerned it's becoming too commercial, it's not balanced enough."

During the rest of the hustings event, which was dominated by the Trident defence system, Green Party candidate Louis Stephen insisted the country should scrap its nuclear deterrent and invest in other areas instead.

He called the focus on it "crazy" and labelled nuclear weapons "a white elephant".

"The costs of replacing Trident will be covered over the next 30 or 40 years and we'll be paying three to four billion pounds every year - those costs would cover all of our A&E services for the next 30 years," he said.

Worcester MP Robin Walker disagreed, calling Trident "the only game in town" but also hit out at Tony Blair for having "an addiction to intervention".

He also revealed people in Worcester "frequently" criticise the international aid spending, which is currently 0.7 per cent of Britain's GDP.

"If I took a straw poll of adults in my constituency I think most people would be against it, but I actually think it's the right thing to do," he said.

Labour Councillor Matthew Lamb, filling in for Worcester candidate Joy Squires, called for "British values" to be spread around the world and defended Trident as "the ultimate deterrent" to people who want to harm the UK.

But he added he felt the only solution long-term was bilateral disarmament around the world.

UKIP's James Goad, meanwhile, said Britain's "shrinking defence" is harming the nation's standing around the world.

"At the moment we're waving a stick of celery," he said.

He also suggested the country's "political independence is being subsumed into the European Union", and was heckled at.

* The regular hustings at the Cap 'N' Gown, in Upper Tything, will continue this coming Bank Holiday Monday from 7pm.

Entrance will again be free, for more details call landlord Ted Marshall on 01905 612 236.

Each event lasts around two hours, including 45 minutes dedicated to questions from the audience direct to the hopefuls.

People can also find the pub on Facebook, or on Twitter by typing in @CapnGownWorc.

IT'S ALL HOTTING UP IN WORCESTER

The announcement from Mr Shuker now means Worcester has no fewer than eight General Election candidates vying for the seat.

Conservative Robin Walker, Labour's Joy Squires, UKIP's James Goad and Green Louis Stephen are already long-established parliamentary candidates in the city.

That takes it to five, and earlier this month we revealed how the Liberal Democrats are fielding Taunton-based Federica Smith in Worcester.

Peter McNally, a train driver, is standing for Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts (TUSAC), while there is also one candidate standing on a bring 'bring Worcester City FC home' ticket, Krister Halvorsen.

The nominations do not have to be in until Thursday, April 9, meaning there is still time for more.

It could well end up that the total number of candidates matches or even exceeds the nine in 2010, when Mr Walker took the seat from former Labour MP Mike Foster with a 2,982 majority.