Local businessman and Conservative activist
Nigel Adams (who fought Rossendale and Darwen in 2005) last night beat off tough competition to be selected for Selby & Ainsty - a new Lab/Con marginal constituency described as "notionally Conservative".
The seat had 16 initial applicants, at least 11 of whom were A-listers. The other three "finalists" were all A-listers:
Anne McIntosh MP - her Vale of York seat is being split up with true blue Ainsty moving to S & A. She decided to use her right to only enter the process at the final stage, which may have worked against her.
Mark Menzies - a Scottish marketing manager at Asda who fought the similar seat of Selby in 2005, bringing the majority down from 2138 to 467.
Julie Moody - described by the Yorkshire Post as "the wife of a York estate agent who has little campaigning experience but is thought of as a promising future prospect".
The A list provided three solid candidates here, but this became the first selection of the first 35 in which the constituency exercised its right to choose an exceptional local candidate instead.
Deputy Editor
