A former teacher at Langleybury School has been selected as Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for the area covering Kings Langley.

Tony Breslin will challenge Conservative minister Mike Penning for his Hemel Hempstead seat at the General Election in May 2015.

He currently runs a public engagement consultancy, Breslin Public Policy Limited.

The Labour Parliamentary candidate previously taught at Langleybury School, Langleybury Lane, and has had spells as an education adviser in Enfield and director of sixth form studies in Haringey.

He also spent nine years as the chief executive of the Citizenship Foundation, a charity that promotes participation in public life.

Tony Breslin said: "I am thrilled and honoured to be selected as Labour's Parliamentary Candidate for Hemel Hempstead. Labour held this seat between 1997 and 2005 when we lost it by fewer than 500 votes.

"We intend to win it back through a positive, high tempo campaign that embraces voters, businesses and community groups across the town and the wider constituency."

In 2010, Mr Penning MP won the seat with 24,721 votes - half of the votes cast in the Hemel Hempstead election.

Since then, the tory MP has gone on to hold numerous roles in David Cameron's government, including, minister of state for transport, minister of state for Northern Ireland, minister of state for disabled people and minister of state for justice.

Labour last won the seat in 2001, before Tony McWalter, the Labour party candidate in 2005, was defeated by 499 votes.