Labour activists target Ken Clarke as new wave of target seat selections open

Selection contests have opened for a series of Labour target seats around England.

Activists in marginals in London and the Midlands will be asked to choose candidates in the first two months of 2018 in a bid to unseat some big name Tories, such as Ken Clarke.

Deadlines for Labour members to apply in Mansfield, Milton Keynes South, North East Derbyshire and Wimbledon have all been fixed for early January.

The midlands seats of Mansfield and North East Derbyshire were both held by Labour until this summer, when they were taken by the Tories, despite Jeremy Corbyn’s gains elsewhere around Britain.

Meanwhile the cut-off to apply for Rushcliffe passed last week. Clarke, the former chancellor, has seen his majority cut from more than 15,000 in 2010 to 8,010 this year.

Labour aims to complete the selections for 76 target seats by a revised deadline of April.

Updated: The full list of Labour target seats where selections have begun