Seema Malhotra fights for Feltham and Heston seat in by-election

There may be 23 days to Christmas, but there are a few people who will be putting their present shopping lists on hold in west London.

That's because campaigning has begun in Feltham and Heston for the by-election to see who will replace the late Alan Keen as MP. Keen, who was a member of the Labour party, died of cancer last month after being the MP since 1992.

There are nine candidates looking to take the hot seat, which is a Labour stronghold though the Conservatives will need a 4.8 percent swing to take the seat.

Labour have chosen Seema Malhotra as their candidate and should she win, Britain will have its 28th BME Member of Parliament.

Malhotra has local links having grown up in Feltham and went to school in Heston. She was an advisor to Harriet Harman during her stint as Leader of the Opposition in 2010.

She will be up against Conservative candidate Mark Bowen, who has unsuccessfully fought for the seat in the last two general elections while the Liberal Democrats have put Roger Crouch, a solicitor specialising in mental capacity law.

The major issue which could decide the winner at the ballot on December 15 is Heathrow Airport. Many of the residents who live under the flight path have campaigned against aircraft noise, but the airport is also a major local employer.

The complete list of candidates is: David Bishop (Bus-Pass Elvis Party), Mark Bowen (Conservative), Andrew Charalambous (UKIP), Roger Cooper (English Democrats), Roger Crouch (Liberal Democrat), David Furness (BNP), Daniel Goldsmith (Green), George Hallam (London People Before Profit), Seema Malhotra (Labour).

Image: Seema Malhotra