A HIGH-PROFILE solicitor who was selected as a London council's youngest ever leader before he lost his seat is the latest name to be linked with Darlington's vacant Labour candidacy.

Raj Chada is among up to 30 party members who have expressed a formal interest to become Labour's parliamentary candidate for Darlington.

The candidate selected will replace Alan Milburn, who decided during the summer to stand down at next year's General Election.

Many of those who registered their interest in the position met local party members at the end of October.

Those on the first shortlist are now seeking nominations from ward and branch parties, trade unions, socialist societies, the Executive of the Constituency Labour Party or other affiliated bodies to gain a place on the final shortlist.

Mr Chada joins Roger Baker, the party's head of national press office, as a candidate from the capital.

Other candidates known to be on the first shortlist include Mr Milburn's former researcher and Darlington borough councillor Jenny Chapman, Ferryhill councillor Pat McCourt, who is expected to win union support, and Rob Marchant, who stood in Skipton and Ripon in the 1997 election and worked as manager in the past two elections.

Mr Chada, originally from Northern Ireland, was a councillor in Camden from 2002 to 2006. He was chosen as the Labour group leader in October 2005 aged just 32 before he became Camden Council's youngest leader.

However, after just six months as leader, he lost his seat in the 2006 election to the Conservatives.

He unsuccessfully sought selection for the Reading West party parliamentary candidacy earlier this year.

Mr Chada is also a University of Cambridge graduate and was admitted as a solicitor in 1998. He worked for charity Amnesty International for a year before he joined a private firm in London, with whom he has worked on the G20 protestor cases.

An announcement on the final shortlist is expected within two weeks. Final hustings and a vote will take place on December 5.

The selected candidate will stand against Edward Legard (Conservative), Mike Barker, (Liberal Democrats), Charlotte Bull, (UK Independence Party) and John Hoodless (British National Party).