A charity chief executive from Hove has been chosen to be the Labour Party’s challenger at the general election in Brighton Pavilion.
Michelle Thew, 52, will take on Green MP Caroline Lucas on Thursday 8 June.
Ms Thew became the chief executive of Cruelty Free International, formerly the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), in 2006. She had previously served as the BUAV’s chief executive.
Two years ago she stood in the safe Conservative seat of Bexhill and Battle – at the 2015 general election – and finished third behind UKIP.
She has been described as “one of the most respected and accomplished individuals in the animal protection movement”.
Ms Thew has taken the campaign to end animal cruelty to the European Union as chief executive of the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments.
According to the Huffington Post she has “more than 15 years of experience leading and directing national and international campaign efforts”.
And she has worked with governments, regulatory agencies, local communities, grassroots networks and media across the globe.
The Huffington Post said: “Michelle led the campaign to end cosmetics testing on animals in Europe and spearheaded a wide range of campaigns challenging the UK government’s support for animal experiments.
“Michelle has championed the cause of animals in laboratories across the world, speaking on their behalf in the UK Houses of Parliament, briefing government ministers, elected Members of Parliament, and members of the House of Lords.
“From meetings with Members of the European Parliament and government officials worldwide, Michelle has taken the message to media, regulators and industry representatives from Europe and the US to Asia.”
Shame