Jim Dobbin to be Labour candidate for Heywood and Middleton constituency at General Election

Jim Dobbin MP

Jim Dobbin will be the Labour candidate for the Heywood and Middleton Constituency at next year's General Election after receiving the support of a majority of branches and affiliate organisations to continue as their candidate, rather than face an open ballot.

Under National Labour Party rules each sitting Labour Member of Parliament faces a ballot of branches and affiliated organisations to see whether they want an open ballot for the selection of their candidate for MP in the forthcoming General election - this is known as a trigger ballot.

At the last General Election, in 2010, Mr Dobbin, who has been the Member of Parliament for Heywood and Middleton since 1997, won by a majority of 5,971.

Commenting on the result of the Trigger Ballot Mr Dobbin thanked the local members of the party for their support.

He went on to say that: "It will become clear to the electorate, if it is not already, amid a background of serious cuts to essential services, that priorities in harsh times means that there are only two real choices at the next general election in this constituency. That choice will be between a Labour candidate and whoever David Cameron chooses to represent his party locally."