BURNLEY Labour Party has confirmed that former borough council leader Julie Cooper will contest the constituency again at next month’s General Election.

She has been the MP for the seat since defeating incumbent Liberal Democrat Gordon Birtwistle in 2015.

After being formally endorsed as candidate at the weekend, Mrs Cooper said: “For nine long years the coalition and Conservative governments have starved towns in the North of the funding that is so desperately needed to regenerate our communities. Labour will provide this long overdue investment. We will rebuild our NHS and social care services, give our police and fire services the funds they need to keep us safe and ensure that local government in the North is no longer the poor relation.

“First though we need to urgently bring an end to the Brexit wrangling.

“We need a Government that can be trusted to negotiate an exit deal that protects workers rights, the NHS and the manufacturing industry that this town relies on.

“We need a Labour Government to deliver a deal that everyone can live with: a deal that protects living standards and our environment.”