Maahwish Mirza has been selected as Labour's parliamentary candidate for the Mid Bedfordshire constituency at the upcoming general election.

Alistair Strathern, who became Mid Beds' first Labour MP when he won a by-election in October, has been selected as parliamentary candidate for the Hitchin constituency. He lives in Shefford, which is currently part of Mid Beds but will become part of Hitchin after boundary changes take effect at the election.

Ms Mirza is a former Luton councillor who was born and grew up in the town.

"I’m thrilled to be chosen to stand for Labour in Mid Bedfordshire," Ms Mirza said.

"In an area like Mid Bedfordshire it is vital that we make sure that public services are working for the needs of the local community.

"This is something that I hear regularly on the doorstep, so I am glad that we now have the chance to convey our plan for GP’s surgeries, local transport and policing, and advocate for the change a Labour government will make for the lives of people in towns like Woburn, Flitwick and Ampthill."

A post on X (formerly Twitter) by @Tomorrow'sMPs said that local party members "did not have a say" in the selection process.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the Labour party if Ms Mirza was selected by local members or if the selection was imposed on them.

A Labour party spokesperson said: “Robust due diligence processes have been put in place to make sure everyone selected is of the highest calibre and for that we’ll make no apologies.

“We’re really pleased that outstanding Labour candidates have already been selected in constituencies across Britain, and that work continues.

“The standards for candidate selection in the Labour Party have never been higher.

“Maahwish will be an excellent candidate for Labour in the new Mid Bedfordshire constituency."

The next general election must be held no later than January 2025.