A factory became the focus of the election trail as the woman who stood against Theresa May for leadership of the Conservatives visited Cumbria.

Andrea Leadsom, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was at The Lake District Creamery, Aspatria, with Workington’s Conservative candidate Clark Vasey.

Mrs Leadsom, who came second in the election for the for the leadership of the Tories last year, said: “I’m here to support the fantastic candidates that we’ve got in the area.

“I’ve been here quite recently to see the amazing work that goes on at Sellafield and to talk to farmers about the prospect of leaving the EU.

“The Government has just announced it will give the same funding to the food and farming sector as they received from the EU.

“This is a massive opportunity to write a new UK agriculture support system.”

Last week, the National Farmers Union appealed to all Parliamentary candidates when it announced its General Election 2017 manifesto.

The manifesto sets out five key policy challenges for prospective candidates: Making Brexit a success; investing for growth; safeguarding short, fair and secure supply chains; placing science at the heart of policy making and caring for countryside and rural communities.

Mrs Leadsom said: “What is really good about the creamery is that they take in liquid milk from dairy farmers in the area and half of it goes for production of cheese and half is used as liquid milk.

“This is really important to all of us wanting to eat local products.”

Mr Vasey said: “Food and agriculture are an important part of the livelihood of many people in the constituency.

“Sometimes Labour forget how much of this constituency is rural.

“The Conservative party has always been the party of rural and farming.

“My message to farmers is that I will give 100 per cent commitment to getting a good deal from Brexit.

“We are behind the farmers in the area, only the Conservatives are able to deliver a good deal for them.”

  • The other candidates for Workington are Sue Hayman (Lab), Phill Roberts (Lib Dem) and George Kemp (Ukip).

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Andrea Leadsom also visited Keswick to support the area’s bid to gain World Heritage status.

She met Copeland’s Conservative candidate Trudy Harrison and joined her for a visit to Keswick businesses Podgy Paws and Castlerigg Hall Caravan Park.

Mrs Leadsom said: “Copeland is fabulous, it’s one of the most beautiful areas in the country and so many tourists go there.

“It is so important to the UK and my message to Copeland is that we absolutely support them and their tourism. I was here recently to support them in their bid to obtain World Heritage status and I really hope they get it.”

A decision on whether the Lake District should get world heritage status is due to be made in July.

In February, Mrs Leadsom visited Keswick to meet with National Park Authority chiefs to show her support, as well as canvass in the town with Mrs Harrison for the by-election in Copeland.

If successful, the status would see the Lake District stand shoulder–to–shoulder with world greats including the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and the Taj Mahal.

And Mrs Leadsom said as well as raising the profile of the area, it would also bring in plenty of international tourism, on top of the £17m visitors each year.

Even though the Lake District has bewitched generations, to join the global list of World Heritage Sites, it must demonstrate that it has “outstanding universal value”.

The final decision lays with Unesco’s cultural heritage advisory body, which runs the World Heritage scheme. The committee will meet in Krakow, Poland, in July.

  • Also standing in Copeland are Herbie Winford Crossman (Ukip), Rebecca Charlotte Hanson (Lib Dem) and Gillian Troughton (Lab)