After the previously-selected candidate Colin Hughes stood down for family reasons, Conservatives in the seat currently represented by Clare Short have chosen Nusrat Ghani as their new candidate.
Nusrat, who has family in the constituency, was educated at state schools in inner city Birmingham and her varied working career has seen her operating at a senior level in the financial, charitable, political and media sectors.
She said on her selection:
“It is an honour to have been chosen to represent Ladywood’s residents at the upcoming General Election. This is an exciting time for Ladywood as Birmingham city centre continues to transform thanks to flagships projects such as the new library and the proposals released yesterday for the regeneration of Paradise Circus.
“However, Ladywood is suffering from high levels of unemployment and is one of the areas worst hit by the effects of Gordon Brown’s recession and I look forward to working with local residents and the Ladywood Conservative Association to bring around a Conservative Government and implement the right policies to address these issues and get our region working again.”
Dominic Fisher, chairman of Birmingham Ladywood Conservatives, added:
“I am delighted that the association have chosen such a strong candidate for the forthcoming General Election. In Nusrat we have found a local candidate with the experience, dedication and passion to truly represent the entire community in Ladywood.”
After boundary changes, the Conservatives start in third place in Birmingham Ladywood with 8.4% of the vote and the new Labour candidate, Shabana Mahmood, will defend a majority of 6,804 over the Liberal Democrats.
Jonathan Isaby