JUSTIN Tomlinson has been chosen to fight the North Swin-don seat for the Conservatives at the next general election.

Mr Tomlinson, is the Swindon councillor for Abbey Meads and lead member for cultural services and recreation.

He won almost unanimous backing from the members of the North Swindon Conserva-tive Association at a selection meeting at Haydonleigh Primary School on Tuesday.

Coun Tomlinson, 27, who lives in West Swindon, said he was confident he could wipe out the 8,105-vote majority that Labour MP Michael Wills won at the 2001 general election.

"I'm absolutely delighted to receive this overwhelming endorsement," he said.

"To remove Wills' majority we will have to lead by example, stand up for local issues and be counted.

"An MP is elected to represent the residents and whenever I'm needed by residents I'm there."

North Swindon is a target seat for the Conservatives.

Although the Government is not expected to call the poll until next year at the earliest, Coun Tomlinson said the campaign was already well under way.

With local and European elections approaching in June, the issues he will be focusing on in the coming months will be Europe and council tax.

"The public are extremely uncomfortable about the European constitution and scrapping the pound," said Coun Tomlinson.

"We will also be concentrating on council tax and the performance of the council."

Coun Tomlinson, who runs a printing business, was first elected as a Swindon councillor in 2000.

In 2002 he was elected chairman of the Conservative Future, the party's youth wing, and at the party's Spring Conference earlier this year he was named campaigner of the year.

Coun Tomlinson won the North Swindon nomination by beating Gill Birch, a councillor from Bracknell, by a majority of 59 votes to one.