A ROSSENDALE teacher who took on the last Tory government and won has been chosen as a candidate for the next General Election.

Mike Carr was selected by his Liberal Democrat party to stand against Labour MP Janet Anderson in the Rossendale and Darwen seat.

Although he has a strong connection to the Ribble Valley, the divorced father-of-eight has lived and worked in Rossendale for over 20 years.

The former Ribble Valley Tory councillor switched to the Lib Dems in March 1981 after becoming disenchanted with government policy. And in spite of former Home Secretary and Ribble Valley MP David Waddington accusing him of being a misguided romantic, Mr Carr went on to win the Ribble Valley Parliamentary seat during a by-election in 1991.

It was a victory that sent shockwaves to Downing Street where Conservative ministers blamed a backlash against the hugely unpopular Poll Tax.

Mr Carr's unexpected triumph and his brief tenure in the House of Commons brought him nationwide fame. He was even booked to appear on Terry Wogan's popular chat show. Unfortunately, a string of transport disasters meant he missed his appearance.

And in 1992, he was beaten in the General Election by Tory Nigel Evans.

But becoming a Liberal Democrat MP in the staunch Conservative area remains his greatest political moment . But the 58-year-old teacher is looking forward, not back.

"We have got a big task because at the last General Election we were third. But we are quietly confident.

"I will be working with my colleagues to continue building a significant Liberal Democrat presence and to provide a real alternative in each and every election," he said.

At the last General Election in 2001, the Lib Dem candidate, Brian Dunning, was placed third with just over 6,000 votes compared to Labour's Janet Anderson, who polled over 20,000.

Ms Anderson has held the seat since taking it from Tory Sir David Trippier in 1992.