The Labour and Conservative candidates for the potential by-election in Mid Bedfordshire have been selected.

Nadine Dorries, the constituency's current MP, announced recently that she would resign as an MP, though she is yet to do so.

If the by-election goes ahead as expected, Festus Akinbusoye will be defending the seat for the Conservatives.

He has been Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner since 2021, and previously contested West Ham constituency at the 2015 general election.

Mr Akinbusoye moved from Nigeria to east London when he was 13, and then to Bedfordshire in 2011. He runs a company providing security guards to businesses such as cinemas and shopping centres.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats will be hoping to snatch the seat from Mr Akinbusoye's party, however.

When the seat was last contested in 2019, Labour came second, while the Liberal Democrats have a strong record in by-elections.

Labour's candidate will be Alistair Strathern, who grew up in Bedfordshire and was previously a teacher.

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He now works for the Bank of England, and is part of the cabinet at Waltham Forest Council in London, where he has been a councillor since 2014.

After being selected, Mr Strathern tweeted:  "So grateful for the trust placed in me by [Mid Bedfordshire Labour] members. Mid Beds has had enough of being taken for granted by the Tories.

“Whenever Nadine is done investigating the mystery of her missing peerage, I can’t wait to show Mid Beds the difference a Labour MP could make!”

The Liberal Democrats are expected to announce their candidate shortly.

Other candidates announced so far include Cade Sibley for the Greens, Dave Holland for Reform UK, Alan Victor for the True and Fair Party, and Gareth Mackey - a Central Beds councillor - as an independent.

If Ms Dorries resigns before Wednesday, June 21, the by-election could be held on Thursday, July 20. However, if she has still not confirmed her resignation by that date, the by-election will likely be held later in the same year.

Two by-elections are already confirmed for July 20, in Uxbridge and South Ruislip and Selby and Ainsty constituencies, after the resignations of Boris Johnson and Nigel Adams respectively.