CONSERVATIVE party chiefs have begun the quest to find the person they want to succeed Ann Widdecombe as the next MP for Maidstone and The Weald.

The seat is the safest Conservative-held constituency in Kent with a majority of 14,856 and local party managers are now sifting through dozens of applications from parliamentary hopefuls.

Among those who have confirmed their interest is the well-known and high-profile political blogger Iain Dale, who lives in Tunbridge Wells and contested Norfolk North in 2005.

Others are Janice Small, who has acted as a Conservative press officer for the party in the south east and also lives in Kent along with Jamie Devlin, who became one of the youngest people ever to speak at a Conservative conference in 1996 when he spoke about drugs policy.

Jamie, who was brought up in Maidstone, was shortlisted for the neighbouring seat of Chatham and Aylesford earlier in the year, losing out to Tracy Crouch. He contested the North West Durham constituency at the last election.

It is understood that a number of local prospective candidates have also thrown their hat in the ring.

The selection process is likely to be completed by mid-January and there has been some speculation that the process could involve what is known as a “primary” in which shortlisted candidates address and are quizzed at an meeting open to the public as well as contituency party members.

Miss Widdecombe has been the MP for 20 years and the constituency was once held by Benjamin Disraeli, who twice became Prime Minister, in the 1830s.

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have already selected their candidates, as has the Green Party.