FORMER Mayor of Beverley Margaret Pinder is to stand against Graham Stuart in next year's general election.
She has been chosen by the Labour Party as its parliamentary candidate for the Beverley and Holderness constituency.
A member of Beverley Town Council, she became the first woman to serve as the Mayor of Beverley in 2012-13.
She said: "I believe I can win Beverley and Holderness for Labour.
"The electorate is tired of this coalition and the damage it is doing to the country.
"Local people are worried about the NHS, bad choices being made about local development both in Beverley and across East Yorkshire, and environmental issues such as flood defences and local energy.
"The Conservatives want to think this is a safe seat. I'm putting them on notice – it's not safe anymore."
Mrs Pinder will have to beat sitting Conservative MP Mr Stuart to realise her dream.
He was first elected in the 2005 general election with a relatively narrow 2,580 majority over Labour opponent George McManus.
Many observers felt that was Labour's best recent chance to win the constituency following the departure of previous Conservative MP Jim Cran, who was dubbed "The Invisible Cran" thanks to his low profile.
Mr Stuart faced Ian Saunders in 2010 and increased his majority to 12,987 votes.
As well as her town council role, Mrs Pinder stood for election to East Riding Council three years ago in St Mary's ward in Beverley.
In a hard-fought campaign, she more than doubled the Labour vote, driving it up from fourth to second place.
She said: "The East Riding is a unique and special place.
"I have travelled and lived all over the world, but this has always been home to me.
"Now I'm proud to think I have this opportunity to serve the area and the people here."
A former Wolfreton School pupil, she studied English and modern languages at Cambridge University before embarking on a career in marine, construction and procurement law.
She has worked both in the UK and abroad as a solicitor and university lecturer.
'Runaway Conservative victory in seat is not guaranteed'On paper at least, the Beverley and Holderness parliamentary seat shouldn't be regarded as a key marginal, says Angus Young.
Conservative Graham Stuart's thumping 12,987 majority at the last general election suggests newly selected Labour candidate Margaret Pinder might face something of an uphill task.
However, today's political climate is very different to 2010. Back then, national support for Labour was on the slide.
Since then, the performance of the coalition Government has divided opinion, while the continued rise of UKIP has confounded the pundits while throwing the traditional three-party political system into unpredictable turmoil.
