The entry of Azfar Shah Bukhari into the race for Bradford West certainly raised some eyebrows.

Given that Mr Bukhari will not be in the country, let alone the constituency, for the duration of the campaign - he will remain in Pakistan for work until the New Year - the independent candidate is unlikely to prove a serious contender.

But Bradford West does have form for electing maverick outsiders, as evidenced by 2012's by-election victory for George Galloway under the banner of the Respect Party, so although Labour's Naz Shah currently holds an extremely healthy majority of 21,902 she will be taking nothing for granted.

Lawyer Mohammed Afzal, for the Conservatives, is likely to be her nearest challenger although the presence of Derrick Hodgson for the Brexit Party may split the Tories' vote.

Liberal Democrat Mark Christie will be hoping to improve on the party's distant fifth place last time out.

Completing the line-up is Darren Parkinson for the Green Party, an NHS nurse working with disabled children who says his top priority is addressing the climate emergency.