A LABOUR candidate is promising to “work tirelessly” and put the people of Epping Forest first if he is elected.

Liam Preston, from Shenfield, is hoping to unseat Eleanor Laing in the safe Conservative area in the upcoming election.

The charity worker says he will give the constituency “what it deserves” if he is elected on June 8, and promises to stand up for everyone.

Mr Preston works for YMCA England and Wales, and claims he is a campaigner for the rights of young people.

He said: “This Tory Government has overseen the biggest cuts to our public services in a generation. The NHS and social care is in crisis, our schools are struggling under the weight of the budget cuts and cuts to police budgets are putting our safety at risk.

“People here need a local representative that will put them first. I will work tirelessly between now and June to let local people know that this general election will be a choice between a Labour Party that will stand up for the people of Epping Forest, or a Conservative Party that only looks after the privileged few.”

Secretary of the Epping Forest Labour Party, Mitch Conway, said: “Over the coming weeks I will be joining Liam on the campaign trail and am looking forward to supporting him as Labour’s candidate.

“As someone local to the constituency, I know that if elected on June 8, he will put this area first and will be a committed and local MP. That’s what Epping Forest deserves.”

Labour finished third in 2015, 19,000 votes behind the Conservatives.