A third candidate has been announced for the job of fighting the South Swindon constituency for Labour at the next general election.

With former shadow minister Heidi Alexander and Rosa Bolger already having declared they wish to be considered, the latest to throw his hat into the ring is Christopher Lloyd - currently a councillor in the London Borough of Greenwich.

Mr Lloyd, 36, is originally from Knighton in Powys, and now lives in London and works in public transport communications.

But he says he has been working towards winning the candidacy in South Swindon for months, and has roots in the town.

He said: “When my grandfather came out of the Navy he came to Swindon where he was an environmental health officer for the council.

“My dad and his three brothers were born and brought up in Penhill, until my dad moved to Powys to marry my mum.”

Mr Lloyd said he has significant hopes for Swindon - encapsulated in a six-point plan oi his website: He wants to make the town the HQ for Great British Railways, come up with a new plan to tackle violence against women, look after carers better, improve the bus service and create a co-operative to retrofit homes to make them more energy efficient.

He added: “All of those is deliverable now- it doesn’t run against existing labour policy, and these are things being done at this minute elsewhere, so I could start the moment I’m the MP.”

But he added, before that, he needs to win the seat and before that be selected as the party’s candidate. He said he has the experience of fighting and sometimes, winning tough election campaigns.

He said: “I stood for Labour in Brecon & Radnorshire  in the 2010 general election and then in 2011 in the same seat in the Welsh Senedd elections where I doubled Labour’s vote.

“I welcome the candidacy or both Heidi Alexander, who I know well, and Rosa Bolger. The higher the calibre of the field, the better that is for the people of South Swindon. I believe I have the experience and skills to be a winning candidate and a really effective MP.

“I’m able to make a broad coalition of party members, from members on the left to more moderates. Personally I’m Labour; I joined the Labour Party, not this group or that group.

“I want to take the fight to Robert Buckland at the next election.”

A longlist of candidates is expected to be announced soon, with the matter decided by mid-August.