Labour's Hitchin candidate has insisted he wants to deliver meaningful change and show that 'politics can be better' as he looks to become the town's first ever Labour MP.

Alistair Strathern is looking to overturn a large Conservative majority for the second time in a year, after narrowly winning the Mid Bedfordshire by-election last October.

With his Shefford address falling in the new Hitchin constituency, he's now set to take on Bim Afolami and his 2019 majority of 12,000.

Despite being a relative newcomer to Westminster, he insists he's the right man for the job, telling The Comet: ""Over the last seven months in Mid Bedfordshire I've built a reputation as someone who works with people from all backgrounds to get things done."

Earlier this week, Mr Afolami highlighted in an interview with The Comet his experience as a local MP and in Parliament, but the 34-year-old Labour candidate responded by saying: "I actually have spent a lot of time living here, but what we need is not just a candidate who understands the area but one who has a track record of getting results.

"Myself and Labour have a much stronger offering for our communities than the Conservatives are offering for Hitchin."

Mr Strathern believes that he can be the one to deliver it in Hitchin, saying: "I want to do a lot more to boost investment and capacity for local GP's in our towns and villages. This is a national issue which is particularly acute in our local area."

He continued: "Being an MP has been the most exciting experience of my life but it has also been deeply frustrating because of the challenge of trying to get things done with a Conservative government in charge. 

"But if we can get a Labour MP in Hitchin and a Labour government in Westminster it will allow us to tackle the issues that people are dealing with."

Those issues include investment in infrastructure, focusing particularly on schools and transport.

Mr Strathern wants to see eastern access to Hitchin railway station (something he has in common with his Conservative rival), as well as improving the town's bus network and making sure that "people don't feel isolated if they don't have a car".

He also wants to be a voice for small businesses, saying: "Our small businesses do so much to make our area vibrant but there's a lot that isn't working for them.

"I want to reform business rates to support them and invest in GB Energy (a key national pledge for Labour) to drive down their bills and overheads."

Mr Strathern warned against a vote for the Liberal Democrats, pointing to tactical voting advice which claims that Labour are the only party that can beat the Conservatives in Hitchin.

Quick fire questions:

Favourite hobby outside of Parliament - "I'm a Massive Aston Villa fan and I try and get down to Villa Park as much as I can. I had a season ticket but had to give it up after entering Parliament!"

Favourite TV programme - "The American version of the Office and more recently, New Girl has been a great binge watch after a tough day on the campaign trail."

Favourite meal - "We are very lucky to have a fantastic curry house in Shefford called Dalchini Spice so after a long day campaigning I like to have a few beers and then go down to Dalchini for a chicken jalfrezi."

As well as Mr Strathern and Mr Afolami, the other candidates in Hitchin are: Chris Lucas (Liberal Democrats), Charles Bunker (Reform UK), Will Lavin (Green Party) and Sid Cordle (Christian People's Alliance).