At least six candidates have put themselves forward to be Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Stevenage in the next general election.

The successful candidate will be on the ballot paper given to members of the public as they cast their vote in the election, which must be held no later than January 2025.

Applications to join the list of candidates closed on Friday, October 7. Over the next week, the Labour party’s National Executive Committee will draw up a longlist of suitable candidates, and pass this to the Stevenage Constituency Labour Party (CLP).

An independent selection panel in Stevenage will then interview the candidates and whittle the longlist down to a shortlist that is likely to contain between two and five candidates.

Those shortlisted will speak at a hustings on Saturday, November 12, to which all eligible members of Stevenage CLP will be invited. Members will vote for their preferred candidate at that event, with the winner announced later the same day.

Stevenage’s last Labour MP was Barbara Follett, who was in post from 1997 until 2010. Conservative Stephen McPartland has been MP since then. In the last general election, in 2019, McPartland won 25,328 votes against the 16,766 received by Labour’s Jill Borcherds.

Six candidates have publicly declared, though more may have entered the race privately. You can watch their campaign videos below.

Callum Anderson, a councillor in Acton, west London, who was Labour's candidate for the South West Bedfordshire constituency in the 2019 general election

Kevin Bonavia, who served as councillor in Lewisham, southeast London, between 2010 and 2022. He was also Labour's candidate for the Clacton constituency in the 2019 general election, and for the Rochford and Southend East constituency in the 2010 general election

Nazmin Chowdhury, who has served as councillor for Bedwell ward in Stevenage since the local elections in May 2022

Naushabah Khan, a councillor in Medway, Kent, who was Labour’s candidate for the Rochester and Strood constituency in a 2014 byelection and the 2015 general election

Nabhan Malik, who co-founded the ‘Labour in Communications’ group and was previously a member of the UK Youth Parliament

Thomas Plater, who has served as councillor for Letchworth Wilbury ward on North Herts Council since the local elections in May 2022