The final three Tory hopefuls to be Police Commissioner for Kent have been revealed.

A blog by Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless named the Tory hopefuls as Jan Berry, a former chairman of the Police Federation union, Francois Gordon, a former ambassador and Kent Police’s European strategy advisor and Medway councillor and former UKIP deputy leader Craig Mackinlay.

Cllr Mackinlay, a chartered accountant and magistrate from Chatham, said: "I’m very pleased, it is fantastic. If there’s an alignment of planets, and I’m no cosmologist, I’ve got a certain number of skills that are totally right for this job.

"I hope I have a certain youth and energy - in fact I’m two days older than the prime minister."

The trio will now face three hustings to party members, who will choose the final Conservative candidate, in Medway, Tonbridge and Canterbury.The public will elect Kent’s first Police and Crime Commissioner on November 15 to replace the Kent Police Authority overseeing the force.