Labour party members have chosen their candidate to fight for the North Swindon parliamentary constituency.

Facing off against the incumbent Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson, when the election is called, will be Chris Lloyd

After being selected by members of the constituency party at the weekend, from a field of at least four, Mr Lloyd tweeted: “This means the world to me! I won't let you down! Let's go out and win this TOGETHER!”

He also tweeted a picture of him with his South Swindon Labour counterpart Heidi Alexander.

Mr Lloyd lost out to Ms Alexander when they both put themselves forward for the candidacy in Sir Robert Buckland’s constituency.

Mr Lloyd grew up in Powys in mid-Wales but comes from a Swindon family, with his grandfather having been an environmental health officer in the town. He said: “When my grandfather came out of the Navy he came to Swindon where he was an environmental health officer for the council.

“My dad and his three brothers were born and brought up in Penhill, until my dad moved to Powys to marry my mum.”

Mr Lloyd stood for his home constituency in Brecon & Radnorshire in the 2010 election and since then has become a councillor in London, where he holds a seat in the Royal Borough of Greenwich council.

Mr Lloyd said: “Swindon is a town that’s given so much to me and my family, Now I want to give something back.”

He added: “I want to put Swindon back on the map as the town of scientific excellence, building on its proud history.”

Mr Lloyd, who has worked for many years at network rail added: “I want to make Swindon the best-connected town in the country and rebuild its reputation as a great place to have a family and start a career just as mind did.”

He said his ambition for Swindon was to be: “A better place to work, to build a family and grow old in. Greener, fairer, a place where we don’t just survive but thrive.”

With the last election being in December 2019, the next general election must be held by January 2025, but it seems more likely that it will revert to the more normal cycle of elections in spring by being called in May 2024.