THE Redditch Labour group has selected business leader and former Worcestershire County Councillor Chris Bloore as its candidate for the next General Election.

Mr Bloore, from Wythall, who has served as both a district and county councillor, was at the forefront of Labour’s local campaigns challenging cuts to local services as well as being a prominent supporter of the ‘Save the Alex’ campaign.

Outside of politics Mr Bloore, aged 40, has enjoyed a successful career in business, having served as the Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s largest provincial tourism trade association.

During the Covid-19 pandemic he worked with government leaders to deliver over £300 million in financial relief that safeguarded thousands of SMEs and helped to protect 100,000 jobs at the height of the pandemic.

Chris Bloore said: “I am delighted to have been selected as Labour’s candidate for Redditch and the villages at the next election.

"I am running to represent the people that I went to school with and grew up with in the area. They are my friends and my family and for fourteen years local people have been let down by this Conservative government and deserve a fresh start.

"Public service runs through my family, my grandfather was a police officer for over twenty-five years and my mother worked in our NHS for over thirty years.

"It’s their example that I hope to emulate by giving local residents the chance to vote positively for change".