JOHN Bateson, of Oxenholme, has been selected as prospective candidate for Westminster and Lonsdale by the local branch of the Labour Party.

Welcoming his selection, he told the Gazette that, as a local man, he was keen to dispel the myth that the Labour Party was a party of the urban heartlands.

"I have a good understanding of local issues and I want to kill this idea that the Labour Party is not a local party.

The labour vote in Westmorland is a strong one and I believe it could be stronger," he said.

Born and bred in the constituency, he attended Kirkland School then Kendal Grammar School before studying Politics and Economics at Nottingham University, where he was chair of the Student Labour Club.

For generations his family have lived "within sight of Kendal Town Hall clock" and, living in a Labour household, he first remembers putting up posters during the election campaign of 1964.

He is a strong supporter of regional government and lists his local priorities as improvements to rural transport and investment in the NHS.

Despite the potentially-long hours of canvassing in the rain, Mr Bateson, 46, relishes political life.

He said: "I enjoy talking to people and I am always prepared to meet with groups whose views I do not share and I am prepared to listen to their arguments."