CROYDON could be poised to get its first woman MP in 2015.
Labour's National Executive has chosen the seat as one which will have a shortlist of candidates who are all women.
According to Councillor Simon Hall, chairman of the Croydon Central Labour Party, whoever wins the nomination will have a good chance of getting into Westminster.
Conservative Gavin Barwell won the seat at the last General Election with a majority just short of 3,000.
Labour would need a three per cent swing to take the seat and Cllr Hall claimed this week that national opinion polls were putting Labour eight per cent ahead.
Cllr Hall said there had been full consultation with members before the decision to choose the seat from an all-women shortlist was made by Labour's National Executive.
He said: "At a consultation meeting there were arguments for and against the idea for Croydon Central but everyone who spoke absolutely believed in the principle of ensuring there was proper representation in Parliament."
Labour's policy is to look at going for all-women lists in seats which are considered winnable.
Cllr Hall said the party was not just paying lip service to the idea of greater representation by selecting women in seats which could not be won.
He said: "We are seeing a shift towards us in Croydon Central which are not traditional Labour areas and are getting some very positive feedback.
"It is going to be a tough fight in 2015 but our prospects are very good."
Cllr Hall added: "The one thing that was very clear at the meeting was that we were confident that whether there was an open candidates' list or an all-woman list that we would end up with an excellent candidate who would run the best possible campaign to take the fight to Gavin Barwell."
He was confident that now the decision to go for an all-woman shortlist had been approved, the local party would rally around to fight a campaign which would see a Labour MP elected in the constituency.
Cllr Hall said the constituency party would be pushing to start the selection process "at the earliest possible date".