Boris Johnson selected for Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat

Boris Johnson has been selected as Tory candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in the 2015 general election.

Conservative activists selected Mr Johnson - London mayor for six years - as candidate for the west London seat.

Mr Johnson, who announced his intention to return to the Commons last month, plans to remain as mayor until the end of his second term in May 2016.

He said he was "obviously thrilled" to be selected and said he was sure the Tories would win a majority in 2015.

Mr Johnson, who was MP for Henley between 2001 and 2008, won outright on the first count, without the need for a second round.

Speaking afterwards, he said: "It will be a tough fight, it will be a long fight, but I have no doubt whatever that we are going to be able to return David Cameron and the Conservatives with an absolute majority in 2015."

Mr Johnson - tipped by some as a future Conservative leader - denied his victory was the next step to replacing Mr Cameron as Tory leader.

He also said it would not be a problem to be an MP and Mayor of London at the same time.

'Lame duck'

Ken Livingstone served as an MP for a year after becoming mayor in 2000 and Mr Johnson said: "It has been done before and I see no reason why it shouldn't be done again."

"This is act one, scene one of a very long process and what I have got to do now is have a lot of talks with people here in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, get to know people, get to know the association better," he added.

Labour's shadow minister for London, Sadiq Khan, said Mr Johnson had put his personal ambitions above the needs of Londoners, adding that he would become a "lame duck mayor".

"When Boris Johnson should be fixing London's desperate housing crisis, he will instead be spending the next two years campaigning to be an MP and Tory Leader," he said.

And Labour's candidate for the seat, Chris Summers, said voters would now have a clear choice between a "ruthlessly ambitious career politician" and a committed campaigner "who would work tirelessly" on local causes.

Mr Johnson was selected by Conservative activists from the Uxbridge and South Ruislip area

Conservative MPs took to Twitter to congratulate Mr Johnson on his selection.

Glyn Davies, Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, tweeted: "Welcome aboard Boris. We need your amazing talent to engage with voters. Hope you find time to support me in Montgomeryshire."

Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, added: "Yes! Boris. It has begun..."

'Star players'

The selection contest was triggered by Sir John Randall's decision to stand down in 2015 after 18 years as the MP for the area. He had a majority of just over 11,000 in 2010.

The Conservative Home website said 62 people had applied for the nomination and the local party association had whittled the list down to a shortlist of four.

The other contenders were councillors David Simmonds, deputy leader of the London Borough of Hillingdon, and Simon Dudley, deputy leader of Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council, as well as barrister Suella Fernandes.

The quartet faced questions from local party members before the vote took place.

Before the hustings Mr Johnson said he was taking "nothing for granted".

Mr Cameron has previously said he would be delighted to have the mayor back in Parliament, saying he wanted his "star players on the pitch".