FORMER Labour MP Laura Smith looks set to return to frontline politics after being selected to contest a council seat in Crewe.

Ms Smith, who lost her seat in the December 2019 general election, will contest the Crewe South ward.

The seat became vacant following the death of Dorothy Flude, a veteran Labour councillor and well-respected local figure.

After gaining the Crewe and Nantwich seat from the Tory incumbent Sir Edward Timpson in the 2017 general election, Ms Smith became a prominent figure on the party’s socialist wing.

She became well known as a staunch opponent of a second referendum on EU membership.

Crewe and Nantwich Labour formally congratulated Ms Smith, saying: “It means everything to have a candidate we know will be as committed to our communities as the wonderful Dorothy Flude."

Ms Smith said that she was “delighted” to be selected and that she was “looking forward to fighting to keep Crewe South red.”