Labour has chosen a transport expert to fight Zac Goldsmith in the Richmond Park byelection triggered by his protest over Heathrow expansion. Christian Wolmar, who has written a number of books on railway history, will stand in the contest on 1 December.

The Conservatives, along with Ukip, are not putting up a candidate against former Tory Goldsmith, who will now stand as an independent after his party decided to press on with a third runway at Heathrow. The Liberal Democrats, who represented the affluent suburb until 2010, are hoping to snatch it back with their candidate Sarah Olney.

The Green Party has said it will not enter the race, and some senior Labour figures urged their party leadership to follow suit to give the Lib Dems a better chance of defeating Goldsmith. The local party decided to pick Wolmar, however, who has worked for Shelter and Camden council.

Wolmar, who also campaigned for the Labour nomination for mayor of London in 2015, said: “It’s a great honour to be selected to stand for Labour in the Richmond Park byelection, which gives us an opportunity to expose the disastrous policies of this government and fight the third runway at Heathrow, which I have long opposed.

“The Liberal Democrats and Zac Goldsmith supported every terrible decision taken by the last coalition government, from austerity to the unnecessary and expensive top-down reorganisation and creeping privatisation of the NHS. The Lib Dems are not a progressive alternative, but Labour is.

“Zac Goldsmith played a key role in the leave campaign which led to the decision to take us out of the EU – a decision that 72% of voters here opposed. The only way to send a message to this government and that we do not accept what they are doing to our country is to vote Labour.”

Meanwhile, the estranged wife of a government whip has launched her campaign to take the seat. Fiona-Natasha Syms will stand as an independent but said she would immediately join the Conservatives if she wins.

The Tory speech writer condemned Goldsmith for throwing a “strop” by quitting and was unhappy when the Tories announced they would not stand. Within days she announced plans to throw her hat in the ring and has now launched a no-frills campaign.

She said: “Today I proudly launch my campaign in RPNK [Richmond Park]. I’m running as an independent but will immediately join the Conservative party if elected.”

Syms hit the headlines in 2013 after hitting out at David Cameron when he sacked Robert Syms from his job as a whip. “PM just fired father of my kids over the phone,” she wrote on Twitter. “Gave up chairmanship of a cttee [committee] to be a whip, worked hard and was widely acknowledged to be a good whip. He was utterly gracious and took it like a man, I am beyond furious. Loyalty counted for nothing.”

Robert Syms was made a whip again under Theresa May.

Goldsmith campaigned for Brexit but voters in the seat overwhelmingly supported remain in the referendum. The Lib Dems are pouring resources into the seat in an effort to overturn the environmentalist’s 23,015 majority on a pro-EU ticket.

