THE identity of Labour’s candidate to succeed outgoing Southampton MP John Denham will be decided this weekend.

Four hopefuls will face a ballot of their fellow party members tomorrow to find out who will succeed Mr Denham as the party’s Itchen constituency candidate at the next General Election.

Current city councillors Satvir Kaur and Sarah Bogle, journalist and London councillor Rowenna Davis and former Southampton councillor Pat Evemy all hope to be elected Southampton’s first female Labour MP at the 2015 election.

Mr Denham, who has served as Itchen MP since 1992, announced he would be standing down last year. And, as exclusively revealed in the Daily Echo, his successor will be chosen from an all-woman shortlist – a decision that was made by local party members and supported by the Labour National Executive.

Now, after months of campaigning by the candidates, the four hopefuls will face their fellow party members at the hustings at St Mark’s Institute in Woolston tomorrow.

The victor will face the leader of the city council’s Conservative opposition, Royston Smith, at the election.

Cllr Smith was narrowly beaten by Mr Denham at the 2010 General Election, with Mr Denham holding on to the seat by just 192 votes.

Two current city council Cabinet colleagues are among the fourwoman shortlist.

Cllr Bogle has been the city’s children’s services boss since Labour won back power of the council in May 2012, and has been a city councillor for Bargate since 2006.

Among her campaign policies are creating more apprenticeships, pushing more employers in the city to adopt the Living Wage and diverting greater resources to city schools in areas of deprivation.

Shirley councillor Satvir Kaur was first elected last May but last week was promoted to the city Cabinet as member for communities.

If elected, she says she will bridge the gap between Westminster and ordinary people, as well as fighting to improve the standard of living in the city.

A councillor on Southwark Council, Ms Davis grew up in Hampshire, and has said she will fight to bring more skilled jobs to Southampton, fight to introduce the Living Wage and tackle deprivation and unemployment.

Mrs Evemy has previously represented the city’s Bargate ward on the council, and has been a member of the Labour Party since 1982.

One of her key priorities if elected would be to tackle deprivation and poverty.