by Neill Barston

THE Labour candidate to replace MP Derek Wyatt at the next election will be appointed within the next two months.

Mr Wyatt, who was first elected to represent Sittingbourne and Sheppey in 1997, announced earlier this year he would not stand at the next election.

His replacement as Labour candidate will be chosen by November, according to party spokesman and Chalkwell ward councillor Roger Truelove.

Party members are to wait until after next week’s national conference in Brighton to meet and discuss the type of candidate they are looking for. The job will then be advertised.

The candidate will have a majority of just 78 votes to defend at the general election, which must be held by June.

Cllr Truelove says the candidate will be under pressure to win, but he is confident a quality person can be found to fight the seat.

He said: “We are expecting to have someone in post by November and are meeting this week to discuss the kind of candidates we will be looking for. We’ll be advertising for this next week.

“With this being a marginal seat it’s going to be a tough job with the opinion polls not being with Labour at the moment.

"We have to be able to show that if the Conservatives win the next election we could dip further into recession.

The next election will be fought on the economy, but we also have some big issues within Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Unemployment is high in the area and there is a lack of housing.

"It is also the case that investment is slow to materialise here.”

Speaking on his decision to step down, Mr Wyatt, who was re-elected as MP in 2001 and 2005, said he had “no regrets” about his retirement from politics and wishes his replacement well.