The process of selecting a candidate to fight the next election began some time ago for me. I was elected to be part of the 5 person sifting committee to reduce the number of applicants down to a manageable number. The long list went from way over a 100 applicants down to 70 and then following a trip down to CCHQ we reduced it to 8.

This morning, as part of the West Suffolk Conservative executive committee, we reduced the numbers from 8 to 4. This was a long process which gave each candidate 30 minutes to answer questions and try to convince us they should be in the final 4.

This afternoon all Conservative members were invited to attend the final selection round. Again each of the 4 candidates presented and were then asked questions. It is fair to say we were blessed with some exceptional candidates.

Finally, after 10 hours, we had a result. Nicholas Timothy. His mum and dad live in Hundon so he has really local connections. Nick, has proven political ability, is local and understands West Suffolk and is very well connected in Government.

I look forward to a fresh start for West Suffolk.