Selby and Ainsty by-election: Labour names candidate

Keir Mather will stand in the Selby and Ainsty by-election

The Labour Party has named its candidate who will stand for a vacant North Yorkshire seat.

The party announced Keir Mather, 25, would stand in the Selby and Ainsty by-election on 20 July.

The election was triggered by Conservative MP Nigel Adams, who has held the seat since 2010, announcing on Saturday he would stand down.

His decision came shortly after Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries also announced their resignations as MPs.

A by-election in Mr Johnson's Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat will also take place on the same date.

Prior to resigning Nigel Adams had previously said he did not intend to seek re-election in 2024

The Labour Party said Mr Mather was born in Hull and grew up near Selby, before going to the University of Oxford.

He has most recently worked at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and his candidacy was supported by the GMB and Unison.

He said: "It is an honour to have been selected to fight to represent this brilliant constituency. Whilst the Conservatives are too distracted by their own chaos to deliver, the people of Selby and Ainsty have been left without a voice.

"We are facing the worst fall in living standards in a generation. Mortgages are up, our public services are broken, and the economy is stagnating.

"It's time for change. The last time Selby had a Labour MP he delivered a brand new hospital, the first direct train to London, new flood defences and a bypass.

"After 13 years of the Conservatives, the people of Selby and Ainsty deserve a fresh start, and a Labour MP to once again deliver on the people's priorities and build a better future."

Following Labour's announcement, it emerged the previously selected Conservative candidate, Michael Naughton, had withdrawn from the contest due to an "unforeseen family medical emergency", with a new candidate set to be selected in due course.

In 2019, Mr Adams received 33,995 votes while Labour candidate Malik Rofidi came second with 13,858. The Liberal Democrats, Yorkshire Party and the Greens also fielded candidates.