A CITY councillor has entered the race to become Labour’s next Parliamentary candidate for Oxford East. 

Dan Iley-Williamson, 27, said he wanted to champion the views of young people, as well as families who had been affected by the Conservative government’s programme of spending cuts. 

It comes after Labour MP Andrew Smith, who has represented Oxford East for 30 years, announced he would not stand in June 8’s snap General Election.

College tutor Mr Iley-Williamson said: “Since I have been involved in politics I have been inspired by Andrew’s example and find it amazing how many people on the doorstep have personal relationships with him.

“But as a local person, I also see people in Oxford – like the rest of the country – are suffering massively under Tory austerity, whether that is through the closure of children’s centres, underfunding the NHS and schools, or the falling of wages and living standards.

“It is having a particular impact on my generation, who are underrepresented and being offered a bleaker future than our parents.

“I want to be a champion for them and everyone who is suffering under this government.”

The process to select Mr Smith’s successor is already under way, with Labour saying it expects to unveil its new candidate for Oxford East on Friday. 

Mr Iley-Williamson, who lives in East Oxford and was elected to Oxford City Council last May, is the second person to publicly declare a bid.

South East MEP Anneliese Dodds has also revealed she is in the running

Speaking to the Oxford Mail today, Mr Iley-Williamson admitted he was not as experienced as Ms Dodds but said his work with grassroots campaigns had given him an understanding of issues faced by people in the constituency.

He added: “My mum benefitted from tax credits and the minimum wage, so I know the good a Labour government can do and I know what it is like to be a family that is struggling.

“We need hope, optimism and transformative change on a whole range of issues in this country and that is what Jeremy Corybn’s Labour Party is offering.”

He campaigned for Britain to stay in the European Union last June but said it was important to ‘accept the result... and focus instead on what kind of Brexit it should be’.