I can exclusively reveal that Esther McVey, formerly Wirral West MP and Minister for Employment, has been shortlisted in the contest to succeed George Osborne in Tatton.
McVey, a television presenter and businesswoman, narrowly lost her seat in the 2015 General Election and has since been the focus of much speculation about a possible Parliamentary comeback.
She completes the shortlist of three for Tatton, which had a majority of 18,241 in 2015 but faces abolition and merging with neighbouring Altrincham if the boundary changes proceed as previously drafted.
The other two candidates on the shortlist are:
The selection meeting will take place on Wednesday evening.