Dr David Landau, the chairman of the Strictly Orthodox educational representative body Chinuch UK, has been chosen by the Conservatives to contest Hackney North and Stoke Newington, the Labour seat held for 37 years by Diane Abbott.

Abbott, who was a former Shadow Home Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, won a majority of over 33,000 at the 2019 election.

The constituency boundaries have been redrawn but still include three wards with big Charedi populations.

All six Charedi councillors in the borough represent Conservatives with the former Liberal Democrat Ian Sharer returning to the council for the Tories in a by-election a few months ago. The sole Strictly Orthodox Labour councillor Eluzer Goldberg has just stepped down.

Abbott was suspended by the Labour Party for over a year after writing in a letter to the Observer that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people suffered from prejudice rather than racism.

The Labour whip was restored last month and after a few days of speculation in the press whether she would stand her candidacy for the July 4 election was confirmed.

Landau, who lives in Hendon, chairs one of the highest-ranking comprehensives in the country, based on exam results, Menorah High School for Girls in London. He was an NHS oncologist who also had a Harley Street practice and is a senior fellow at the Policy Exchange think tank.

"It’s an honour to be asked to stand for all the people of Hackney,” he said.