'We need to bring more investment and build a more diverse economy'

She added: "One of the big strands of my campaign is that we need to bring more investment into the county. My aim would be to promote the county as a centre for research, development and innovation — which I think we already do to a certain extent.

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"We've got the University of Lincoln, we've got the colleges, there's a lot happening in Grimsby to do with renewable energy, and we are ideally positioned for research in agriculture.

"Yes, we need investment, but I think we also need to build a resilient, diverse economy."

Sally later pointed to the current uncertainty surrounding Scunthorpe Steelworks as a reason why the economy must be broad and robust, with strength in a range of industries.

At the end of March, British Steel announced it could shut down its two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe as soon as June, potentially threatening 2,700 jobs, as US tariffs and environmental costs continue to impact its already struggling operations.