Tory chiefs are believed to have tapped up Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell as the fight for the Rochester and Strood by-election gains momentum.

According to a national newspaper, senior Conservatives have appealed to the oarsman to take on Ukip's Mark Reckless in a bid to stave off another humiliating defeat to the party.

It comes after Douglas Carswell seized the Clacton seat to become Ukip's first MP last week - just weeks after defecting from the Conservatives.

Just yesterday, the Ukip bandwagon rolled into Rochester, with leader Nigel Farage, Mark Reckless and Douglas Carswell attracting national media on the campaign trail.

The Conservatives are set to choose their candidate in an 'open primary', with all voters across the constituency eligible to take part.

The Mail on Sunday revealed Tory sources had confirmed they would like the 42-year-old to throw his hat into the ring.

The Eurosceptic has made it clear he wants to stand for Parliament, and is believed to have applied for the nomination for the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat, eventually won by Boris Johnson.

No date has yet been set for the Rochester by-election but it is believed to be a key seat, which the Tories are preparing to fight with all their might.