LABOUR PICKS LOCAL CANDIDATE

A 32-year-old father-of-three was tonight nominated to stand as Labour’s candidate for the forthcoming Hartlepool by election.

Local ward councillor Iain Wright was nominated from a short-list of three at a meeting of Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party.

The by-election which is expected to be held in either September or October has been caused by sitting MP Peter Mandelson becoming Britain’s European Commissioner.

Mr Wright won 78% of the votes in the first round to secure his nomination.

Mr Mandelson, the town’s MP since 1992 had a majority of almost 15,000 in the 2001 election.