John O’Farrell selected as Labour’s candidate for Eastleigh

Author and Broadcaster John O’Farrell was selected tonight as Labour’s candidate for the Eastleigh by-election by local members. Here’s a brief biography of John – who we’ll hopefully be catching up with properly on the campaign trail:

John O’Farrell is an author and broadcaster – best known in Labour circles for his book “Things can only get better”. He grew up in Maidenhead, where he stood as Labour’s candidate in the 2001 General Election (which was the subject of the BBC documentary Losing My Maidenhead). O’Farrell has also published four novels, and was a writer on both Spitting Image and Have I Got News For You, as well as being a former columnist for both The Independent and The Guardian. 

Congratulations to John, and commiserations to the other shortlisted candidates. The by-election is on February 28th.

Update: And here’s the obligatory photo of the new candidate with local activists: