It is a great privilege and also a great responsibility to be selected as Labour’s prospective Parliamentary candidate for Wyre Forest for the 2015 General Election.

When Labour Party members choose a Parliamentary candidate they are doing so in the belief that you will work hard to win Wyre Forest for Labour and ultimately, if successful, to be a dedicated Member of Parliament. I recognise that trust and I do not take it lightly. I am looking forward to working with Labour members and supporters to win Wyre Forest and make a vital contribution to getting a Labour government.

I lived in Wyre Forest for more than 17 years. Whilst I was born in Birmingham, spent my early life on Canvey Island in Essex (and you may still detect traces of my Estuary English accent!) my formative years were spent in Kidderminster. I went to school here, I had my first jobs in the area stacking the bread at Marks and Spencer before school every day, working at Bells Supermarket on Habberley and working for the Benefits Agency at the picturesque Crown House. I went to university in Bristol but I was never far away from Wyre Forest. I trained as a lecturer and I got my first job at Worcester College of Technology and lived back in Kidderminster. I finally left Wyre Forest to go and live in Worcester. However, I retained close links with friends and family in the area not least through my partner of nine years, Zoe, who I first met more than 20 years ago at the Seven Stars!

I was involved in the Labour Party in the early 1990s and I stood as a council candidate for Spennells and Aggborough. Despite my best efforts I lost. However, I was not put off and both in Wyre Forest and in Worcester I supported the party through the good and difficult times. During this selection process it was reassuring to see that many of the people I campaigned with 20 years ago in Wyre Forest are still involved. My persistence was rewarded when I was elected onto Worcester City Council and I am currently also a Cabinet Member in the Labour administration which seized back power in May 2013.

I am looking forward to the campaign for the 2015 General Election. It is going to be a tough struggle. However, it is a struggle worth fighting. In just the last six months Ed has made dramatic strides forward and we now have a set of policies which we can sell on the door step. The mask has finally slipped from David Cameron: ‘compassionate Conservatism’ has been axed and the ‘nasty party’ is back. We can give the electorate a clear choice in May 2015: between a progressive one nation Labour Party which is willing to stand up for the many, and an increasingly desperate Conservative Party which is going to fight dirty. I look forward to working with you for a Labour victory.

Matt Lamb Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Wyre Forest