The Labour Party has chosen its candidate to stand against Conservative MP James Sunderland in Bracknell at the general election on July 4.

Labour says its candidate Peter Swallow is the ‘only’ candidate who can beat the Conservatives. But Mr Sunderland says he has a ‘proven track record of delivery’ as Bracknell’s MP.

Mr Swallow was revealed as Labour’s candidate on Friday, May 24. He said: “I am proud to be standing as Labour’s candidate in Bracknell, my home town. Only Labour can beat the Conservatives here.

“In the next six weeks, I am looking forward to sharing Labour’s message of change with the voters of Bracknell, Crowthorne and Sandhurst.”

READ MORE: Who do polls say will win in Bracknell?

James Sunderland acknowledged that there is ‘a fight’ to be elected as Bracknell’s MP on July 4 – but that he is hopeful to be re-elected. It comes after the Labour Party took control of Bracknell Forest Council in a landslide local election result last year.

But Mr Sunderland said the Conservative’s local polling ‘is pretty good’ and he is ‘taking nothing for granted.’

He tole the News: “I think there will be a fight. But good MPs that are fully engaged with a proven track record of delivery should be okay. I’m hopeful.”

He added that he had supported Bracknell Forest Council since Labour took control last year, lobbying the government for funding for special educational needs and cost of living support grants.

He said: “I’m sticking around. I’ve got unfinished business – there’s much more that I want to do for Bracknell.”

The Labour Party said that if elected as MP Peter Swallow would ‘fight to get the NHS back on its feet, tackle the Tory cost of living crisis, and end the sewage dumping scandal.’

Liberal Democrat candidate Katie Mansfield also said she would tackle the same issues as she welcomed the news of a general election.

In a statement on Wednesday, May 22, she said: “It is time to address the root causes of the cost-of-living crisis, NHS waiting lists, and sewage in our local rivers.”

“There is an alternative and the Liberal Democrats have a clear plan to bring about this change. I will work tirelessly for Bracknell, listen to the community, and ensure we get a fair deal.”

Mr Swallow, a university lecturer, says he grew up ‘between Wokingham and Crowthorne’ and was previously a school teacher. He was recently the chair of the Labour Party in the west London constituency of Ealing and Acton.

Katie Mansfield has been an aid worker and worked in marketing, and is a councillor in the west London borough of Richmond upon Thames.

James Sunderland has been Bracknell’s MP since 2019 and was a colonel in the British Army.