Labour aims to fend off UKIP by completing Stoke selection this week

Labour has confirmed it will push ahead with a quick selection process in Stoke in a bid to fend off the threat posed by UKIP and the Tories.

Officials will complete the selection for Stoke-on-Trent Central this week after the party said it would hold the Potteries by-election, triggered by the resignation of Tristram Hunt, above, on the same day as the Copeland poll next month.

The deadline for applications to be the candidate in Stoke will be 10am tomorrow, Monday 23 January, just six days after the window to apply opened.

The party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) will hold interviews and a shortlisting meeting in London on Tuesday.

A hustings and the final selection will then take place in Stoke on Wednesday.

The by-election in Stoke, as well as the contest in Copeland – which was prompted when Jamie Reed said he would resign to take up a job at Sellafield – will be held on February 23. Both seats strongly backed Brexit in June last year

Last week Paul Nuttall, the new leader of UKIP, announced he would stand in Stoke-on-Trent.

At the last general election Hunt held the seat with 12,220 votes, a majority of 5,179 on a turnout of 49.9 per cent. UKIP came narrowly ahead of the Tories to take second place on 7,041 votes.

Hunt is resigning the seat to take up the post of director of the Victoria and Albert Musuem in London.