A GRILLING by Have I got News for You panellist, Ian Hislop, awaits prospective Conservative candidates hoping to succeed Ann Widdecombe as MP for Maidstone and the Weald.

On Sunday, January 20, the Maidstone and the Weald Conservative Association will hold their "Big Event" to select the prospective parliamentary candidate to stand at the next General Election.

Last October, Miss Widdecombe, who has been the area's MP for 20 years, announced her intention to stand down at the next election.

At the event nine candidates will present themselves to members of the association and will be interviewed by Private Eye editor and Have I Got News for You regular Ian Hislop, from Sissinghurst, near Cranbrook.

The vacancy for a Maidstone candidate was advertised in November, coincidentally the same month that Miss Widdecombe hosted the BBC2 satire.

By the end of the year, the association had whittled 98 applications down to nine candidates and two reserve candidates, who now face Mr Hislop's questions.

They are: Stephen Barclay, James Brokenshire, Conor Burns, Jamie Devlin, Vicky Ford, Helen Grant, Jon Lord, Julia Manning, Kulveer Ranger.

The reserve candidates are David Godfrey and Lynne Hack.

Each candidate gets 30 minutes to present themselves to members of the conservative association, which will include an interview by Mr Hislop and a series of questions from the floor.

After the presentations members will vote for the four candidates they believe would make the best MP.

The final choice will be made by an executive council composed of councillors and representatives from the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells wards in the constituency.

The process is expected to be completed by 6.30pm on Sunday, January 20, when Miss Widdecombe will propose a resolution to adopt the successful candidate as parliamentary spokesman for Maidstone and the Weald.