NEWLY selected Labour candidate John Cryer has issued a statement following his success last night.

Mr Cryer said: "I'm honoured to have won the trust of the local Labour Party.

"Our challenge now is to take our message of hope over despair to every local resident between now and the General Election.”

He added that Labour would aim to “provide a future fair for all” and slammed Tory plans to cut inheritance tax by £200,000 for the 3,000 richest estates in the country.

Mr Cryer also promised to support families and businesses, to “help to keep their homes, promote jobs and help them secure the economic recovery”.

"If the people of Leyton and Wanstead put their trust in me, I will stand up for them and promise they will have a strong local voice in Parliament,” Mr Cryer said.

He is reported to have won the seat by a “clear margin”, while Harriet Harman’s husband Jack Dromey, who was previously linked to the constituency, has clinched the seat in Birmingham Erdington.

Mr Cryer was selected last night after months of delays and speculation, with rumours rife that a candidate could be "parachuted in" by the national party.

He was MP for Hornchurch until losing his seat in 2005 to Conservative James Brokenshire and is now national political officer for union Unite.

The Lib Dem and Tory candidates, Farooq Qureshi and Ed Northover, have both been campaigning heavily for several months, leading to fears among party members that Mr Cryer may have to make up considerable ground ahead of the election.

Both Mr Northover and Mr Qureshi have strong local links as they are Waltham Forest councillors and live in the constituency.

You can visit websites for Mr Northover and Mr Cryer at ednorthover.com and johncryer.co.uk.

The Lib Dem website for the constituency may be found at leyton-wanstead.libdems.org.uk