BLACKBURN MP Jack Straw ’s son Will is seeking to follow his dad into Parliament as MP for Rossendale and Darwen.

The 31-year-old told the Lancashire Telegraph he had thrown his hat in the ring to become the Labour candidate for the marginal seat in May 2015.

Will Straw is canvassing support in Rossendale and Darwen for becoming candidate when Labour starts selecting later this year.

He already has support from former Labour MP Janet Anderson but current Tory MP Jake Berry said local people would object to a candidate ‘parachuted’ in by London Labour.

Mr Straw, associate director of Labour-leaning think tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, said: “The final selection is a matter for the local party but fighting, and hopefully winning, the seat for Labour and representing it in Parliament would be a satisfying and rewarding challenge.

“I know East Lancashire very well, spending a lot of time there with my father as I grew up. I am a Blackburn Rovers fan.

“I am talking to people in the constituency party to see if I am the right candidate for a seat suffering greatly under this government. Representing it in Parliament would be a really serious job. The main issues are investment and jobs.

In 1997 Mr Straw was cautioned for selling cannabis to a Daily Mirror reporter in 1997 in a tabloid sting. “When I was cautioned, I was set up and only 17,” he said. “I do not support the legalisation of cannabis.” He faces several hurdles including calls for an all-women shortlist and his brush with the drugs laws.

Current Tory MP Jake Berry said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if the local Labour Party were forced to select a candidate “parachuted” in from London.

“I’m not interested in who Labour select, my number one priority is to continue to be a strong local voice, fighting to secure a better deal for everyone living in Rossendale and Darwen.”

Mrs Anderson said: “Will is a very able and bright young man who would make an excellent choice of Labour candidate for the people of the constituency.”

Former Darwen councillor turned Rochdale Labour MP Simon Danczuk said: “Will would be a fantastic candidate and MP.”

Will Straw was born in south London and educated at Pimlico Comprehensive School. He gained a 2:1 degree in politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford where he was president of the Student Union before working in the Treasury department for four years.

He took a masters degree in public administration as a Fulbright Scholar at New York’s Columbia University and took on a role in a Democrat think tank before returning to the UK where launched Left Foot Forward, a popular left-wing blog.