PARLIAMENTARY hopeful Colin Eldridge last night revealed he has sold his dry cleaning business and will quit the city council in a bid to land his dream job.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Eldridge said the move should be seen as a sign of his confidence that he could defeat Labour’s Jane Kennedy in her Wavertree seat.

At the 2005 General Election, Mr Eldridge failed to defeat Mrs Kennedy, who has held the seat since 1992, but now believes the seat is within his grasp.

In May, he will stand down from his Church ward seat on Liverpool city council. He has held a seat in the ward since 2004.

Mr Eldridge is currently chairman of sustainable communities select committee and has previously been leader for leisure and community safety.

And he recently sold The Wash and Press Centre, a dry cleaning business he set up five years ago.

The company is based in Rose Lane and has two other shops.

He said: “I want to focus all my energies on the general election.

“I think this is a crucial opportunity for Liverpool to get its first non-Labour MP since 1997 when David Alton stood down.

“Liverpool needs a voice in Westminster fighting for Liverpool and its people not just for the Labour party. I am taking a big risk, but at the same time it shows a level of confidence that we believe we can win the seat, and for the next six to seven months we will be working very hard.

“Running a local business has given me an insight in to life for ordinary Liverpool families and that’s invaluable for someone aspiring to be the MP for Wavertree.”