LIBERAL Democrat campaigner Jeremy Wilcock has been chosen to contest John Prescott's seat at the next General Election.

The former Deputy Prime Minister is retiring from the House of Commons at the next election after representing Hull East since 1970.

Labour's constituency party has already selected Hull solicitor Karl Turner as his would-be successor.

He was chosen after a bruising month-long selection process early last year in which he defeated Mr Prescott's son David and former Labour councillor Gary Wareing.

Although Mr Turner has no direct political experience, he remains the clear favourite to make it to Westminster.

However, Mr Wilcock is aiming to pull off what would be a shock win for the Lib Dems by taking the seat from Labour.

In the 2005 election vote Mr Prescott won with a reduced majority of 11,747 – down almost 3,600 on the previous General Election.

Four years ago, the Lib Dems finished second with their candidate Andy Sloan increasing his party's share of the vote.

Mr Wilcock, a former chairman of the party's Beverley and Holderness branch, would require another hefty swing to even get close to winning in what has always been regarded as rock-solid Labour territory.

However, since 2005 the Lib Dems have established a comfortable overall majority on Hull City Council, winning several seats in east Hull along the way.

Chris Gurevitch, chairman of the East Hull Liberal Democrats, said: "Jeremy is a well-known local figure and we think he will be an excellent candidate."

In the battle to come, he will be handicapped by a previous decision taken by the Lib Dems to make Diana Johnson's Hull North berth their main target seat in the city.

It means resources and manpower will be distinctly thin on the ground for both Mr Wilcock and city councillor Mike Ross, who is challenging Labour's Alan Johnson in Hull West and Hessle.

Mr Wilcock, who works at the University of Hull's Business School, is no stranger to General Election campaigns.

In 2001 he finished third for the Lib Dems in Selby and four years later he came third again, this time in York.

More recently, he stood as a Lib Dem candidate in last month's European elections in the South-West region where only the party's sitting MEP Graham Watson was returned.

If he does pull off a surprise victory in Hull East, Mr Wilcock might have to change his current long-term plans.

On a website set up for the Euro campaign, Taunton-born Mr Wilcock describes himself as being "rooted in the South-West" and reveals he is about to move to Somerset to take up a teaching post at the University of Gloucester.

Most political pundits believe the General Election will be held on the same day as the local council elections next summer.