A Swindon councillor only elected in May already has his sights set on higher things.

Will Stone was elected as a Labour councillor for Rodbourne Cheney just five months ago - but he has already put in his application to be Labour’s candidate for the North Swindon parliamentary constituency at the next general election.

If selected Coun Stone will be campaigning to unseat the Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson.

Coun Stone has wasted no time – with a websitewillstonelabour4northswindon.co.uk already set up.

In a video hosted on the site, Coun Stone, who is from Swindon and a former soldier, says: “Swindon is a great town, built on industry and it deserves a labour MP who will represent it with pride and rebuild our town.”

The deadline to apply to be considered for the candidacy is October 12.

After hustings, North Swindon Labour Party members will vote for their preferred candidate, with an announcement sometime later this year.

The South Swindon Labour party has already selected its candidate to fight Sir Robert Buckland for the seat. It chose former shadow cabinet member and deputy Mayor of London for transport Heidi Alexander as its candidate.

A general election must be held before the end of January 2025.