Tory candidate for Selby by-election calls for green spaces to be protected from new housing

“Politics is all about balancing competing interests, it's clear that we do need more housing and affordable housing,” Ms Holmes said in an interview with The Yorkshire Post.

“But equally, it is important that housing is in appropriate places, and my view is that we need to protect our green spaces.

“Nobody knows Selby and Ainsty like the people of Selby and Ainsty, and so they are the people who ought to be feeding into that process of making those decisions.

“Those decisions should not be made by somebody in Westminster that does not know or understand the area and the issues.”

Almost a third of land in the constituency is designated as part of the Green Belt, according to House of Commons Library data.

Ms Holmes works as a barrister after getting her degree through the Open University.

She said that her work ethic, and belief in lifelong education comes from her parents: her father who was a miner, and her mother who was a seamstress before returning to education.

"I just don't believe that anybody can hit the ground running and in Selby and Ainsty like I can,” she added.

Her selection comes after Michael Naughton, the former candidate for the Tories in Selby was forced to pull out of the contest due to a family medical emergency.

The Yorkshire Post previously revealed that he had backed fracking, despite widespread public anger against the work done by drilling companies across the North.

“We had a vote at full council on fracking and I voted against it in East Riding,” said Ms Holmes.

“It was not appropriate for that area, and it was not in line with what local people said that they wanted, and again, I think local people ought to decide that.”