Anneliese Dodds has been selected to be the parliamentary candidate for Oxford East following the retirement of Andrew Smith.

Ms Dodds, who lives in the constituency with her family, is a Labour MEP for the South East of England.

She said: “It is a privilege and an honour to be selected as Labour’s candidate for Oxford East, my home seat and a place I love so much.

“Andrew Smith has been an outstanding MP for our area, working tirelessly to deliver for people across our community. I want to thank him for his 40 years of dedication to Oxford East as both councillor and MP.

“His are big shoes to fill, but I am determined to be the strong voice our area needs after seven years of damaging Tory cuts.

“My main priority for Oxford East is countering the Tories' extreme and chaotic approach to Brexit. If elected I would use my contacts across Europe to protect trade and scientific links which are so important to the local economy. “