Mrs Eric Forth wants to be B&C's next MP

Caroll Forth, Eric's widow, is one of the surprise contenders for the Bromley and Chislehurst by-election.

Her name is revealed in today's London Evening Standard (not online) after some good investigative reporting by Paul Waugh.

Other contenders named in the LES are:

Colin Bloom, local councillor
Stephen Carr, local councillor
Michael Harris, chairman of association
Syed Kamall, London MEP
Mary Macleod, merchant banker
Julia Manning, optometrist
Bob Neill, leader of Tory group London Assembly
Colin Smith, local councillor

Mrs Forth - only approved by CCHQ's parliamentary selection process yesterday - leads a strongly localist shortlist. She joins three local councillors and the Association chairman as representatives of the immediate area. The Evening Standard writes:

"Widows have succeeded their husbands as MP very rarely over the past century and Tories believe it would be first instance in their own party. Labour's Anne Cryer took on her husband Bob's former Keighley seat three years after he died in 1994. Labour MP Irene Adams took on Paisley in a 1990 by-election after husband Allen died. Her election would also neatly get Mr Cameron another woman into Parliament, although not through the route he wanted. Mrs Forth is also disabled, suffering from a muscular disease."

"Mrs Forth's lack of campaigning experience makes her an outside bet," according to The Standard. Forecasting constituency selection meetings is no science but the newspaper identifies Bob Neill and Michael Harris as favourites.

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