Keynsham resident James Coldwell has thrown his hat into the ring to be Labour’s parliamentary candidate for North East Somerset and Hanham.

James, 37, grew up in Somerset and lives in Keynsham with his wife and young son. By day, he leads a charity campaign for decent work, lobbying big businesses such as Tesco and Barclays to provide better working conditions for their staff. He is a trustee of a local food bank and served as a Councillor for six years, when he lived in London. As Vice Chair of North East Somerset & Hanham Labour party, he is leading the local party’s campaigning efforts as it gears up to unseat Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg at the general election.

James says: “It’s about time our community had an MP it can be proud of, and that’s what I intend to be. It’s surely not too much to ask to have an MP who is local, hardworking, down to earth - and full time. I’m not interested in self-promotion, but in promoting the interests of our community.

“In a general election, only Labour can defeat the Conservatives in our area. If selected by Labour members I will run an energetic and upbeat campaign, making the case for the positive change a Labour government would bring to the Chew Valley area and the wider community.”

Among local members hoping James will be shortlisted by the party is Corinna Levack, Branch Secretary for Chew Valley Area Labour Party.

Corinna says: “The people of North East Somerset & Hanham can only benefit from the energy and inclusiveness James has demonstrated as part of the team setting up the new constituency Labour Party. I hope he has the opportunity to stand for selection as the Labour candidate.”

Labour members are expected to choose their candidate by the end of February, as the party prepares for a general election this year. At the time of writing Electoral Calculus, a professional polling company, gives Labour a greater than 60% chance of taking the new North East Somerset & Hanham constituency.