Leigh's former MP Jo Platt hoping to take back the seat she lost in the last general election

Leigh’s former MP Joanne Platt has thrown her hat in the ring to become the Labour candidate to stand in the next general election. The seat she lost in 2019 when the ‘red wall’ fell is something she hopes she can win back.

The next general election is scheduled to take place in 2024 if a snap election is not called before then and Ms Platt is set for a gruelling internal process, which she considers can be tougher than an election campaign itself, to try and become Labour’s choice for Leigh. Since 2019, she has been working within the community on the ground as well as getting involved with Leigh Spinners Mill - which they are looking to unveil next month.

“For me this is important because of what happened in 2019 and the failing of Labour in the red wall seats,” she said reflecting.

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“I have not taken this decision lightly and I have done a lot of soul searching as well as speaking to a number of members. I think just on the basis of support I have got made me want to do it again.

“However, it is not up to me to decide if I am going to be the candidate. What happened in the last election was awful for Leigh.

“It was a shock for everyone in the party.

“The fall of the red wall is something we are still talking about now. If I can take one thing from the general election in 2019 it was the lack of trust we had from people in so many ways.

“It was Brexit, the leadership and our policies that people could not trust and to deal with one of these issues in a campaign is tough, but to deal with all three was like tackling a tide you just cannot get through. I do think that the result was also a shock for the Conservative