WIRRAL solicitor and independent councillor David Kirwan has launched the first “anti-sleaze” political campaign ahead of the next general election.

Mr Kirwan said he intends to stand in the Wirral West seat, where he is already a councillor in the Hoylake and Meols ward.

He said he would only take a Member of Parliament’s salary and travel expenses to and from London if he wins the Wirral West seat as an independent candidate.

He said: “By putting myself up for election, I am giving the voters of this constituency a very clear choice.

“They can vote for me, a local businessman and independent councillor, as appalled as they are by the sleaze which has rocked our Parliament to its very foundations.

“Or they can continue to support candidates from the three main parties, none of whom we will ever be able to trust again.”

Mr Kirwan said he had not claimed any expenses in three years, and urged others across the country to follow his lead in challenging the main parties.

The married father-of-two will contest a knife-edge seat against current Labour MP Stephen Hesford and Tory candidate Esther McVey.

The majority at the last election was just over 1,000, and the marginal seat is a prime target for the Conservatives.

Mr Kirwan, 65, has been leading the high-profile campaign against the threatened closure of libraries and other cultural amenities in the borough.