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Labour members have selected London-based barrister Mark McDonald to be their next parliamentary candidate in Stoke-on-Trent South.

Mr McDonald was given the nod ahead of five other short-listed applicants, who included city councillor Ruth Rosenau and Newcastle borough councillor Amelia Rout.

Jack Brereton won Stoke-on-Trent South for the Conservatives in last year’s General Election, ending Labour’s 67-year hold on the seat.

While the next general election is not due until 2022, Labour has been keen to get prospective candidates in place for all its target seats, including Stoke-on-Trent South.

Around 124 members of Stoke-on-Trent South Constituency Labour Party voted in the selection process, which culminated in Sunday’s hustings event.

Mr McDonald, who grew up in a Birmingham tower block, is a criminal defence and international human rights barrister.

He has worked in Palestine and was one of the founders of the Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, an influential group within the party.

Mr McDonald is a Jeremy Corbyn supporter – as are Ms Rosenau and Ms Rout – and he received the endorsement of Momentum, the left wing group that evolved out of Mr Corbyn’s leadership campaign.

He said: “I’m delighted to have been chosen by local Labour members here in Stoke-on-Trent South to be the parliamentary candidate. It’s a huge honour to stand for Labour to represent Stoke-on-Trent South in parliament.

“The Potteries have been hit extremely hard by this Tory government. Wages and living standards have fallen, there is a crisis in the NHS, police numbers have been slashed to the lowest levels since the 1970s and crime is rising.

"I have fought for social justice and human rights for the last 30 years and have the skills and the determination to bring Labour back to the people of Stoke-on-Trent South and importantly to ensure that no child is left behind and every school leaver has an equal opportunity to achieve something in life.

“The stakes could not be higher and the hard work starts right now. I will be visiting every street, delivering Labour’s message of change to every home in the constituency.

“I will work hard to bring investment and much-needed skilled and well-paid jobs to the area and help build a fairer Britain that works for the many, not the few – and that starts right here in Stoke-on-Trent South.”

Mr McDonald left school at 16 and went to work in a factory, but later became a lawyer after attending night school and university. He founded the London Innocence Project, a non-profit legal resource clinic, and regularly lectures on international human rights law.

But a number of Labour members have expressed dismay at Mr McDonald’s selection ahead of local candidates – specifically Ms Rosenau, who came third in the contest.

Stoke-on-Trent Conservatives have been quick to point out Mr McDonald’s lack of local connections – in contrast to Mr Brereton, who was born and raised in the city.

Stoke-on-Trent South CLP chairman Chris Robinson, who is also a city councillor, said he was disappointed with the outcome of the selection process.

He said: “I’ve not hid the fact that I campaigned for Ruth and so I am disappointed that members didn’t go with a local candidate. But that is democracy and I understand that.

“In previous elections we have criticised the Conservatives for choosing a non-local candidate, so we can’t really avoid that now. I’m not a Momentum member myself, but there were some who were saying they would be leaving the group now because it hadn’t supported the local candidate.

“But we have to all rally around now. The next election will be a close contest – Jack Brereton only won by 650 votes. I think the fact that Mark is an experienced barrister will be beneficial, and hopefully he will be able to bring some high-profile figures up here.”