The battle for Birkenhead is on as MP Mick Whitley confirmed he will stand for selection against fellow Labour MP Alison McGovern.
Mr Whitley is the Member of Parliament for the Birkenhead constituency in its current form. A boundary review will soon see a new Birkenhead seat formed, which will include parts of the existing Wirral South constituency.
Wirral South will be abolished at the next General Election and broken up into other constituencies. The changes will mean Wirral's four Parliamentary seats become three - Birkenhead, Wirral West and Wallasey.
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The move will also leave current Wirral South MP Alison McGovern without a seat in Parliament. Today she announced she would be seeking selection for the newly formed Birkenhead seat, which includes parts of her current constituency.
Ms McGovern's announcement today sets up a battle with her fellow Labour MP Mick Whitley, who has told the ECHO that he fully intends to seek the nomination for the new formation of the Birkenhead seat.
In a statement, he said: “I am the MP for Birkenhead and have been working hard for the people of our town since I was elected.
“It was one of the greatest privileges of my life to be elected to serve as the Member of Parliament in 2019, and I was honoured to be resoundingly reselected by Labour members in Birkenhead last year.
“In the event of a new contest, as the sitting MP for Birkenhead, I will definitely be standing and will once again, ask the local members to put their trust in me – so that, together, we can finish the work that we began four years ago. I am looking forward to leading a positive campaign, based on my record of delivering real change for the town in which I was born and bred."
A former trade union organiser and merchant sailor, Mr Whitley added: "I opened the first constituency office in Birkenhead in forty years. Together with my team, we have found safe homes for constituents in need, secured financial support for people struggling to pay their bills, and helped to save two local primary schools. This has gone hand in hand with the work I have done with others to champion the ambitious regeneration of the town."
He said he believes he has kept his promise to be 'Birkenhead's voice in Westminster and not the other way around' and is 'proud' to stand on his record.'
The Birkenhead MP added: "The future of Birkenhead is bright but there is still so much more to do. I am up for doing it."
Details of the selection process for the Birkenhead seat have yet to be revealed.
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