This is Sussex --BATTLE lines have been drawn for the next general election showdown in Crawley, with the Labour candidate now picked.
Chris Oxlade was chosen by Crawley's Labour Party members at a meeting on Sunday to take on Tory MP Henry Smith at the next election, expected to be in 2015.
Mr Oxlade, 41, a borough councillor for Ifield and county councillor for Bewbush and Ifield West, saw off competition from fellow councillor Michael Jones, Mark Latham, Sean McKee and Sohail Munawar.
Having won the vote he has vowed to start campaigning straight away, as he bids to take the seat away from the Tories.
"It is a great honour to stand for MP in the town where I was born and bred, and have lived all my life," he said.
"I have seen Crawley change for the worse in the last three years and that has been hard to take.
"People are going through an awful lot of stresses and strains. Be it rising train fares or suffering at the hands of the bedroom tax, there is an endless list of concerns that I have heard from Crawley residents and friends.
"While Henry's focus seems to be on getting us out of Europe, I'm more concerned about the opening of a food bank.
"This is what is a necessity in Crawley and it is a sad state of affairs."
Former Hazelwick School pupil Mr Oxlade says he is committed to promoting local causes, having previously run the Mercury FM Charity Appeal.
He added: "I am passionate about youth services and at the same time care greatly about the older generation.
"The West Sussex County Council cuts have hit the most vulnerable the hardest and that is disgusting because at the same time we are seeing millionaires get a tax break.
"There are essential community and charity groups in Crawley having their grants and funding curtailed, while their services are required by more people than ever.
"People are experiencing severe financial problems and that needs to be resolved."
Mr Oxlade, who runs an events and production business in Crawley, stood at the last election after long-standing Labour MP Laura Moffatt, who served three terms, announced her shock decision to stand down just two months before the public took to the polls.
He lost by 5,928 votes and, while it sounds a decent majority, the Tories are expected to struggle to match their 2010 performance, particularly with Ukip support having grown in the town.
Mr Oxlade said: "In 2010 I only had a matter of weeks to campaign, but I gave it a good shot and gained invaluable experience.
"It just happened that Crawley turned out to be one of the Tory swing votes.
"This time I've got a two-year run and a body of work which has been building since the last election."
Crawley is set to feature prominently in Labour's national campaign at the next general election, as it is seen as a key seat the party needs to win to gain an overall majority.
Indeed in recent months the town has seen high profile visits from Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband and several shadow cabinet ministers. Reported by This is 1 day ago.