The leader of Enfield Council’s Conservative Group is running to be a member of parliament at the next general election.

Cllr Joanne Laban was selected as the Conservatives’ prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) for the Enfield North constituency on September 27.

It comes as political parties gear up for a snap general election to break the parliamentary deadlock over Brexit.

Cllr Laban, who represents Highlands ward, has been a councillor for the Conservatives since 2010 and group leader since 2017.

She told the Enfield Independent: “I was delighted to be selected as PPC.

“I have lived in Enfield all my life and care about it very deeply, which is why I wanted to run to be MP for Enfield North.”

Labour won Enfield North in the 2015 and 2017 general elections, but MP Joan Ryan quit the party to join Change UK in February this year.

In September, Ms Ryan announced she would not stand at the next general election.

Almost 56 per cent of voters in the borough of Enfield backed remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum.

But Cllr Laban nevertheless believes she has a good chance of winning the seat for the Conservatives.

She said: “I support Boris Johnson’s Brexit plan. People regularly tell me they just want us to get on with Brexit.

“I wanted to respect the result of the referendum. That, in the end, is what we are doing.

“Brexit is one issue, but not the only issue. I am fully behind the prime minister wanting more police officers for Enfield North, more money for schools, and infrastructure projects that will be a catalyst for homes.

“The prime minister has got a plan, especially for more police officers. We need them in Enfield.

“I am a local person, known for my role as a councillor. I was educated here and live here, and that is why I have got a good chance of winning.”