THE Labour candidate to replace David Cameron as Witney MP said the battle lines are drawn as his party is "fighting back."

Duncan Enright is aiming to win the seat for Labour when a by-election, prompted by the resignation of the former Prime Minister, takes place in October.

He will be aided in his campaign by a party which has seen a surge in membership since Jeremy Corbyn took over as Labour leader in 2015.

Mr Enright told delegates at Labour's annual conference in Liverpool that people have a "distorted view" of Witney as the home of "privilege and the Chipping Norton set" because of Mr Cameron's time representing the seat. 

But he insisted the area faces the "same inequality as the rest of the country" and said Labour is "fighting back".

He added: "Over the last five years Labour has won seat after seat on our councils and we now have amazing councillors right across west Oxfordshire, all working in their communities.

"Since May 2015, and particularly since Jeremy Corbyn became our leader, our membership has grown hugely and we now have many more members in Witney than the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and, in fact, more than all of the other parties put together."

Mr Cameron announced on September 12 he was stepping down as MP because he did not want his disagreements with Theresa May to become a "distraction".

There are 14 candidates in the running to replace him, with the poll scheduled to take place on Thursday October 20.

Mr Enright stood against Mr Cameron in Witney, a Conservative safe seat, at the 2015 general election and came second.