A FORMER Assembly cabinet minister, a former county borough council leader, and a sitting regional AM are among the potential candidates the Labour Party hopes can win back the prized and once safe Blaenau Gwent constituency.

A 13-name shortlist given to the Argus by the Constituency Labour Party (CLP) includes former Clwyd West AM Alan Pugh, whose tenure as heritage minister was ended when he lost his seat to Conservative Darren Millar at the last Assembly election in 2007.

Former Blaenau Gwent council chief Hedley McCarthy, relinquished that role after the council elections last year which saw Labour lost control to independents.

Alun Davies, current Labour regional AM for Mid and West Wales, who grew up in Tredegar, is also on the list, as is Keren Bender, from Cwm, an official with the union Community.

She fought a losing campaign when Labour attempted to oust Trish Law from the seat in the 2007 Assembly elections, is also named.

Blaenau Gwent, once Labour's safest UK Parliamentary seat has since 2005 become a wasteland for the party in all elections following a row over women-only shortlists that saw former Labour stalwart Peter Law, Mrs Law's late husband, already an AM, elected to the House of Commons as an independent at that year's General Election.

All attempts since by Labour to regain power at some level in Blaenau Gwent have failed miserably, with Mrs Law AM and Dai Davies MP flying the independent People's Voice flag in Cardiff Bay and Westminster respectively.

Dave Hagendyk, a Caerphilly CLP member and Welsh Labour's former head of policy, is also among those on the shortlist which contains too, sitting councillors from a number of Welsh local authorities.

These include Carmarthen county councillor Steve Lloyd Janes, Caerphilly county borough councillor Hefin David, Blaenau Gwent county borough councillor Jen Morgan, and Vale of Glamorgan county councillor Chris Elmore.

The list is completed by the following: Christopher Herriot, Newport East CLP; Catherine Anne Antippas, Cardiff South CLP; Graham Thomas, Cynon Valley CLP; Simon Evans, Cardiff South CLP.

The selection of a candidate will take place on July 14.