Labour has agreed its three shortlisted candidates for the upcoming Copeland by-election.

It is understood that the all-female list is Barbara Cannon, Gillian Troughton and Rachel Holliday.

The trio will now need to persuade local Labour Party members that they are the best candidate to secure outgoing MP Jamie Reed's seat in Parliament.

A hustings will be held next week before members cast their votes.

All of the candidates on the longlist travelled to London for interviews earlier today, before the successful trio were confirmed.

Mrs Cannon, of Harrington, is a long-serving Allerdale councillor in Allerdale wh stood as her party’s Parliamentary candidate for Penrith and the Borders seat in the 2010 General Election.

Mrs Troughton, of Moresby Parks, is a borough and county councillor for Copeland and a trained orthopaedic surgeon.

Mrs Holliday, of Hensingham, is a high-profile health campaigner who set up a hostel for homeless veterans. She is also a former Cumbria Woman of the Year winner.

Labour's Mr Reed is standing down as MP at the end of the month to take up a new job at Sellafield.