Bernie Grant's widow on shortlist

Bernie Grant: Died in hospital last month

The widow of MP Bernie Grant has been shortlisted as one of Labour's prospective candidates to succeed him in the Tottenham constituency.

Sharon Grant is among four hopefuls who will be interviewed by the local party ahead of the by-election in North London.

Mr Grant, who was 56, died last month in London's Middlesex Hospital.

The other Labour candidates are Sameena Khan, who lives in Tottenham, Greater London Assembly member David Lammy, a barrister born in the area and Shahid Malik, who works for Haringey Council and who is also a candidate for this year's elections to Labour's National Executive Committee.

'Hugely privileged'

Last month, at Mr Grant's funeral, his wife told mourners that her husband was the light of her life, her partner, best friend and political comrade all rolled into one.

"I count myself hugely privileged to have loved and been loved by such a unique individual," she said.

Government ministers and mourners from a multitude of cultural backgrounds joined the service.

Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute through a videotaped message, saying: "We had a shared belief that Britain is and should be a multi-cultural society."

Mr Grant was a diabetic and had undergone a triple heart bypass in 1998.

The Guyana-born MP was a strong left-winger and campaigned against racism in all its forms.