A BOROUGH councillor has been selected to stand for MP in next year's general election for the Liberal Democrats.

Josh Mason, who is a member of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, has been chosen to fight for the Redcar seat after current incumbent Ian Swales decided to stand down after one term in office.

He said: “I’m thrilled to have been selected to stand in place of Ian Swales who has been a popular and hardworking MP.

“He will certainly be a hard act to follow but after working with him so closely over the years, I’m well aware of the constituency's needs and feel well equipped to speak up for us locally and in Parliament.

“I grew up here, my family live here and I care deeply about the area’s future. I want to be an approachable, hardworking local MP and I will fight as hard as I can to ensure the best for our area.”

He was selected by the party on Thursday night (September 25) following a hustings event.

Welcoming the decision Mr Swales said: "I worked with Josh for over four years and it's no wonder that local politicians of all parties see him as the outstanding talent of the next generation. I will give him my full backing and think he can do an excellent job as our local MP."