SHADOW Chancellor John McDonnell will begin a pre-election campaign tour in Colchester today.

McDonnell, who has been Hayes and Harlington MP since 1997, will arrive in the town ahead of an anticipated General Election.

His Road to Rebuilding the Economy tour will outline Labour's plans for government to rebuild the economy and raise living standards in Essex.

The town is an official target seat for the party at the next General Election.

Speaking ahead of the event Mr McDonnell said: "Nearly 10 years of austerity has hit communities in Colchester and Essex as a whole very hard.

"British towns, coast to coast, have lost their traditional industries.

"Nothing has filled that gap and people in Essex have been let down badly by the Tory government, which has inflicted over nine years of austerity on these communities.

"Our struggling high streets are one of the clearest symptoms of the government's failure to invest in our communities.

"Labour's five-point plan for British high streets will help breathe life back into our struggling town centres.

"And Labour will deliver a fair deal for Essex's coastal communities."

In 2017, Labour's Tim Young ran Conservative MP Will Quince close, gaining 18,888 votes compared to Mr Quince's 24,565.

Since then Tina McKay has been selected as the party's candidate for the next election from a female only shortlist.