THE battle lines have been drawn in the fight for Halesowen and Rowley Regis this general election.

Labour has chosen Dudley Council education supremo and Belle Vale councillor Ian Cooper as its candidate and he immediately attacked incumbent Conservative James Morris.

Cllr Cooper has chosen education as the issue with which to fire an opening salvo against his opponent who has represented the constituency since 2010.

He said: “I’m honoured to have been chosen as the Labour Party candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis so I can fight on behalf of the people I grew up with.

"They deserve better than James Morris who is a political rubber stamp for whatever nonsense happens to be floating through Prime Minister Theresa May’s head.

"Take education, Mr Morris has backed the Government’s vanity grammar schools project all the way, squandering £300 million on something nobody asked for or wanted.

"Meanwhile, existing schools in Halesowen face £6 million in cuts which will mean teachers and support staff jobs being axed, people whose dedication change lives every day.”

He added: “We’ve already seen schools in the West Midlands go down to a four day week, which is scary.

“Mr Morris’ government has once again put party before country, and gambled with our children’s futures.”

Mr Morris, who was campaigning with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and West Midlands Mayoral candidate Andy Street this week, quickly hit back at his new opponent. He said: “Locally we have seen Labour politicians threatening our greenbelt, leisure centres, police stations and children’s centres. Here in Halesowen and Rowley Regis we know the chaos is caused by Labour councillors and the Police Commissioner who fail to take responsibility for their own actions.

“What we don’t need is that chaos replicated nationally by electing Jeremy Corbyn’s candidate, but instead a strong local voice, which will take us through the Brexit negotiations and delivers a local plan, and I think I am that voice.”