LABOUR has selected Laura Pidcock to contest North West Durham in the forthcoming General Election, it was announced tonight.

The Northumberland county councillor will look to follow in the footsteps of former Labour MP Pat Glass, who announced she was standing down.

At the last election, she held the seat with a 10,000 plus majority.

Labour's National Executive Committee decided that the seat would  have an all-women shortlist to “at least maintain the number of women MPs in the Parliamentary Labour Party”.