‘Big hitter’ Labour candidate for Warwick and Leamington says she’ll fight for young people

Dr Lynette Kelly, who has been a senior Labour councillor on Coventry City Council since 2004, was selected at the weekend as the party’s candidate for the constituency - two years after its last Labour MP, James Plaskitt, was defeated by Conservative Chris White, who currently represents the area.

The mother-of-four, who is also a board member of the Local Enterprise Partnership for Coventry and Warwickshire, said: “I am hugely honoured to have been selected as Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Warwick and Leamington. It is a huge responsibility, but one that I am looking forward to.

“The Conservative-led government is out of touch and failing young people in the area. Youth unemployment has risen by 175 per cent in the last year in Warwick and Leamington.

“My priorities are to ensure that young people have the skills and opportunities that they need to find work.

“I will be on the side of hardworking people, fighting for the issues that matter to them. Above all else I will stand up for our young people, who are struggling to find jobs in difficult times. As a mother of four I know how difficult it is for them.”

Dr Kelly studied A-levels as a mature student at Henley College, before going on to take a degree at Coventry University and a PhD at Warwick University. She received her doctorate in 2002 and has worked as a research fellow at Warwick University.

She added: “Young people have been hit by a double whammy of £9,000 university tuition fees and the scrapping of Educational Maintenance Allowance.

“As a member of the Local Enterprise Partnership, I have worked across Warwickshire to bring investment and jobs into the area. As a Parliamentary candidate, I shall work day and night to hold this out-of-touch government to account.”

A spokesman from West Midlands Labour said: “Dr Lynnette Kelly is one of Labour’s big hitters and rising stars in the region.

“She will be a heavyweight candidate, demonstrating how seriously Labour takes winning back Warwick and Leamington at the next election.”