Hove Conservatives to pick parliamentary candidate next week

Hove Conservatives are due to pick their parliamentary candidate next week from a shortlist of two or three names.

The frontrunners are two councillors – Graham Cox, the local favourite who represents Westbourne ward on Brighton and Hove City Council, and Kristy Adams, who represents Newnham ward … on Bedford Borough Council.

Kristy Adams and Graham Cox

The third contender was expected to be Jo Jameson, known as Jo Heard before her marriage.

She stood for Brighton and Hove City Council as an independent in Hangleton and Knoll at the last local elections in May 2011.

But although she has been readmitted to the party, there were doubts about whether Conservative Central Office would support her candidacy at the general election in May next year.

A third contender is expected to be put to party members from the national party’s approved list but he or she is not expected to come from the constituency.

The selection is taking place because Mike Weatherley, the sitting MP, announced that he would stand down next May. He won the seat from Labour in May 2010.

Mr Cox, 52, is a former police chief. He was the last borough commander of Hove and, as a detective chief superintendent, ran Sussex CID. He won his council seat in a by-election in December 2011. He writes a regular blog about his work as a councillor.

Mrs Adams, 43, has been the subject of ridicule on Twitter for promoting her local credentials. She has even been dubbed the “Thameslink councillor”. But she has had a home in Hove for some time.

Mrs Jameson, 46, is the daughter of former Brighton and Hove councillor Averil Older who retired at the last local elections. She won hundreds more votes than any other independent when she ran without party backing.

The selection contest is scheduled to take place in a church hall in Hove on Wednesday evening (30 July).