Batley and Spen by-election: Conservatives announce candidate

Ryan Stephenson was elected as councillor for Harewood in 2016

A Conservative Leeds councillor has been announced as the party's candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election.

Ryan Stephenson, chairman of the West Yorkshire Conservatives, was chosen to stand for the seat which has been held by Labour since 1997.

The by-election was triggered after Tracy Brabin stepped down as MP when she was elected as West Yorkshire's first metro mayor.

Labour's candidate will be announced on Sunday.

Councillor Stephenson, who represents the Harewood ward, was chosen by local Tories on Wednesday night.

Tracy Brabin stepped down as the constituency's MP after being elected as West Yorkshire's first metro mayor

Ms Brabin, 60, replaced Jo Cox as Batley and Spen MP in a by-election in 2016 after Ms Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist.

Earlier, the sister of Ms Cox, Kim Leadbeater announced she would be putting her name forward to become the Labour candidate.

• Read more Yorkshire stories

The seat will be seen as a key test for Labour after the party lost the Hartlepool by-election to the Conservatives earlier this month.

Labour is expected to select its candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election on Sunday

A date for the by-election is yet to be announced.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]