LABOUR has made a Conservative-held York seat a target for the next election, but a shortlist announcement means a change in candidate is inevitable.

Party activists in York have been put on election footing, and have learnt that York Outer is being treated as a marginal.

The seat is one of six across Yorkshire to be targeted by the party, and after a surge in votes in June 2017 local campaigners are optimistic about their chances in the next election - whether that is in five years’ time or sooner.

Labour chairman in York William Owen said the seat was “in their sights”, and added that they were at the beginning of the process of selecting a prospective parliamentary candidate.

In 2017, York-born Luke Charters-Reid ran for the seat at the age of 21, winning Labour 37 per cent of the vote and cutting Conservative Julian Sturdy’s majority from 13,000 to 8,000.

However, Labour’s National Executive Committee has announced the seat will now have an all women shortlist (AWS).

Although there was a consultation locally, the final AWS decision was taken by the national body, Mr Owen added.

Mr Charters-Reid, who is now living in London and working in finance, said he was proud of what he had achieved in the June election.

“I am proud of the result in the general election, and I will be working with the next female candidate to make sure we have two Labour MPs representing the city.

“It’s a real chance, and I will be working very closely with them.”

The seat is now one of the top 70 target seats in England for Labour, he added.

Before the June election Labour-held York Central was talked of as a Conservative target, with the party aiming to overturn Rachael Maskell’s 6,700 majority.

During that party’s selection process before the election in June, York Central was called a great opportunity for the party, but in the end Conservative candidate Ed Young saw the vote share go up by just two per cent, and the Labour majority almost triple.