THREE parliamentary candidates asked voters to put their faith in them come May 6 during a hustings gathering arranged by the Bishop of Burnley today.

Labour’s Julie Cooper, Liberal Democrat Gordon Birtwistle and Richard Ali, for the Conservatives, clashed on subjects from marriage and religious tolerance to nursery education and the environment at the St Stephen’s Church event.

Moral questions such as wearing a crucifix in the workplace, sex education in school curriculum and overseas aid were answered by the panel.

But it was the subject of aerospace industry jobs and regeneration issues which raised the temperature at the Oxford Road summit.

Former county councillor Stephen Large asked the would-be MPs how they would fly the flag for Burnley’s traditional aerospace skills base with the likes of Rolls Royce and British Aerospace.

Mrs Cooper said: “It is true that to some degree we do not have the skills, at the required level, and that is why we now have the university and college campus.”

Mr Birtwistle said firms like Lucas and BEP had left the area and important skills had been lost and needed to be replaced.

Mr Ali said that the Conservatives were committed to introducing thousands of new apprentice places over the next two years.

More than 40 people, including several clergy, attended the hustings, which was chaired by the bishop, the Right Rev John Goddard.