Melanie Hampton, a vice-chairman of Tooting Conservative Association, has been selected to fight the neighbouring constituency of Mitcham and Morden at the next general election. She runs her own insurance broking business and is a governor of two schools.
The seat has been held since 1997 by Siobhain McDonagh for Labour and after minor boundary changes she is projected to go into the next election defending a notional majority of 12,739, according to the calculations of Professors Rallings and Thrasher of the University of Plymouth. Melanie will require a swing of a little over 16 per cent to take the seat, which was held between 1982 and 1997 by Dame Angela Rumbold for the Conservatives.
It is one of a clutch of eleven south London seats which has been selecting in recent months.