Chris Altree has been selected as Labour’s candidate for the Barrow and Furness constituency to stand in the next General Election.

Chris was born in Barrow and works for Network Rail as a signaller on the Furness line. Prior to that, he was an engineer in the Royal Corp of Signal and served in the Falklands and Afghanistan.

Chris has deep connections to Barrow and he will work hard to protect jobs and fight for investment in manufacturing so that all corners of Barrow and Furness can thrive. He fully supports dreadnought in Barrow and Labour’s defence policy which protects workers in the shipyard.

Speaking after the selection, Chris said: “I am proud to have been selected to be Labour’s candidate for the next general election.

“This Tory government has overseen the biggest cuts to our public services in a generation. The NHS and social care is in crisis, our schools are struggling under the weight of the budget cuts and cuts to police budgets are putting our safety at risk.

“People here in Barrow and Furness need a local representative that will put them first. I will work tirelessly to let local people know that they have a choice between a Labour Party that will stand up for the people of Barrow and Furness or a Conservative Party that only looks after the privileged few.”

Responding to the news that Labour has selected Chris Altree as their parliamentary candidate after John resigned from the Labour Party last year, independent MP for Barrow and Furness John Woodcock said: “I wish Chris well on a personal level but it is telling that my former Labour colleagues have chosen him over someone who has worked nearly all his adult life in Barrow shipyard and serves on the local council.

“Whatever else Labour says, he will be Jeremy Corbyn’s candidate in Barrow and Furness – he wants to make Mr Corbyn Prime Minister and that would be a disaster for our community.”

Chris defeated Barrow-born Labour councillor Lee Roberts who works in the shipyard for Rolls Royce and was backed by shipyard trade unions.