THE starting gun has been fired on the general election campaign and Redditch is set to be a key Labour battleground.

The constituency is one of the party's top 25 target seats which it needs to win if Labour is to win power in Westminster.

Labour candidate Rebecca Jenkins grew up in the constituency and works at a Redditch school as a teacher.

She said: "Redditch is a great place to live but it has a lot of potential that isn't being realised and I know many people feel left behind.

"My hope is to bring opportunity, security, wealth and optimism to Redditch and it's residents."

She will be fighting to unseat current Redditch MP Rachel Maclean who won the seat at the last election with 52.3 percent of the vote compared to Labour's 36 percent.

Mrs Maclean has lived in the midlands for most of her life and moved to Redditch following her election as its MP.

She has consistently voted with the government on Brexit, in June she said: "A majority of voters in Redditch still want Brexit and that’s what I’ve been working hard to deliver since I was first elected in 2017.

"My position is clear. I have never and will never support calls for a second referendum."