A LONDON councillor has been picked as the Labour candidate for South West Wiltshire at the next general election.

Evelyn Akoto has been the Southwark Council representative for the Old Kent Road ward for a decade, and is currently cabinet member for health and wellbeing.

Now, she is set to head west in a bid to replace Conservative MP, Dr Andrew Murrison.

Confirming the selection, the South West Wiltshire Labour Group said: “Evelyn has been a councillor in Southwark, London for 10 years and has extensive experience in implementing community safety measures.

“She is currently leading a commission on maternal inequalities, and oversees Southwark’s Public Health and Adult Social Care departments.

“Evelyn has also trained at the Officer Training Corps.

“We look forward to welcoming Evelyn and her family into our community and to support her candidacy to be a strong voice for Wiltshire South West.”

The constituency – which includes Trowbridge and Westbury – was created in 2010 and has been represented by Dr Murrison since.

However, polling website Electoral Calculus predicts that could change at the next general election, with Labour given a 62& chance of taking the seat from the Conservatives.