DAVID Drew has confirmed that he is applying to be the Labour candidate for Stroud again.

He has stood for Labour in the constituency at every election since 1992, serving as MP from 1997 to 2010, when he lost to Neil Carmichael by a just under 1,300 votes.

A selection process is now underway with the result due to be announced by the end of the week.

The decision will be made by Labour’s National Executive Committee and not by the Stroud Labour Party because of the timing of the snap election.

Doina Cornell, the deputy leader of the Labour group on Stroud District Council, has also been touted as a possible candidate.

The long-serving SDC member for Dursley said: “I am not surprised by the election and locally the Labour Party welcome it.

We have a good story to tell and this is our chance to get our voice heard.
“It is still a marginal seat and we are certainly going in to try and win it, we won’t send our resources elsewhere.

A lot of people in the Labour Party have been asking me to run. I am quite keen to be involved in some way.”