MAIDSTONE Conservatives have chosen solicitor and David Cameron A-list candidate Helen Grant as the person they want to succeed Ann Widdecombe as MP.

Ms Grant, who is in her early forties and was born in London and brought up by her mother on a council estate in Carlisle, was selected at a meeting of constituency party members on Sunday.

Ms Widdecombe is to stand down at the next general election after two decades as Maidstone and Weald MP.

A senior solicitor with the Croydon Family Justice Centre in south London and mother-of-two teenage children, Ms Grant joined the Conservative party just two years ago and was quickly put on the party’s A-list of potential candidates.

Her selection for what is Kent’s second safest Conservative constituency with a projected majority of more than 11,000 will be seen as a boost for David Cameron’s efforts to broaden the party’s appeal beyond its traditional core groups of supporters.

Describing herself as “thoroughly delighted” she said the association had made a courageous choice: "I joined the Conservatives when David Cameron became leader. He spoke about wanting a more diverse party from the beginning and I think that I am proof of that."

In her acceptance speech to party members, who chose her over eight rivals that included one sitting MP, she said she was both "overwhelmed and quite emotional".

"I feel very much like this is the first day of the rest of my life. I promise that I will not let you down."

Asked about the prospect of succeeding Ms Widdecombe, she said: "She is an incredibly hard act to follow. She has been an eminent and high profile MP for the last 20 years and I will strive to maintain her integrity."

Her political experience includes working as an adviser to shadow home secretary David Davies and Oliver Letwin. She has worked on Conservative policy reform groups, including its social mobility task force and the Family Law Reform Commission.

Her success in Maidstone is a case of third time lucky, having been shortlisted for two constituencies last year – Hammersmith and Sutton and Cheam.

She studied law at Hull University and qualified as a solicitor in 1988 and is a keen sportswoman. Her successes as a schoolgirl included becoming the under-16 judo champion in the north of England.

Ann Widdecombe said: "I think the right person won. I would have been pleased with anyone who had been chosen today. Everyone says it will be a hard act to follow but she will create her own act."

The nine candidates shortlisted were grilled at a selection meeting chaired by Private Eye editor Ian Hislop.

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