A Kent district councillor has been selected as the Tory candidate to stand in the by-election contest for Sir David Amess' former constituency, after the MP was fatally stabbed.

Barrister Anna Firth, a councillor in Sevenoaks District Council, was chosen after Sir David, a long-standing MP for Southend West, was killed during a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, in October.

Ms Firth was selected as the Tory candidate by Conservative members in Southend West today.

She said: “It is an honour to have been selected as the Conservative candidate for Southend West by local members.

“I want to pay tribute to the work of Sir David Amess and I will work tirelessly to carry on his legacy.

“I will focus on realising the benefits of city status, protecting and improving services at Southend hospital and helping to build back better from the pandemic.”

Ms Firth is the CEO of Invicta National Academy, which provides free live, interactive, virtual teaching to tackle the education gap made worse by Covid-19.

Her twitter bio also says she is the national director of the Conservative Policy Forum and a fellow at the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce.

In December 2019, Ms Firth failed to become the MP for Canterbury, defeated by Labour's Rosie Duffield, who retained her seat.

The Labour MP secured 29,018 votes, while Ms Firth received 27,182.

Oliver Dowden, Conservative Party chairman, said: "Anna will be a strong local champion for Southend West and continue to build on the work done by Sir David Amess.”

Labour and the Liberal Democrats will not stand candidates in the by-election contest.

Southend West has been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1950, with Sir David elected on an increased majority of more than 14,400 votes at the 2019 general election.

In October Ms Firth was recognised at the Kent Teacher of the Year Awards for the contribution made by the Invicta National Academy to help children continue learning during the pandemic.