Four women have been selected for a final shortlist of candidates trying to win back a Kent seat for the Conservatives, KentOnline can reveal.

Tory bigwigs in Canterbury have been searching for a contender to take on Labour MP Rosie Duffield and last night whittled the top eight down to four.

Anna Firth, Sally-Ann Hart, Kirsty Finlayson and Angela Richardson will take part in a hustings on Wednesday night in front of all association members.

James Kanagasooriam has been chosen as a reserve, in case any of the final four drop out.

But while the Tories are on the brink of selecting a candidate, Ms Duffield has today again refused to confirm whether she will stand again at the next election.

CanterburyConservative Association chairman Greig Baker told KentOnline it was “not a conscious decision” to select four women.

He said: “It’s not an all-woman shortlist as we have James in reserve.

“The good thing about having such a depth of talent on the list is that we do not have to try and have a demographic pre-ordained. They are the best people for the job.”

As Canterbury Tories have been cutting down a 100-strong list of candidates in recent months, Boris Johnson has moved into 10 Downing Street.

The new government is promising to take Britain out of the European Union by October 31 “by any means necessary”.

Asked if the four Canterbury candidates are “committed Brexiteers”, Mr Baker said: “They are all pro-Leave and very pragmatic. They are committed to seeing it through.”

Eight candidates faced a grilling from the association’s executive last night

"They are all pro-Leave and very pragmatic..." Greig Baker

The final four are now preparing for the crunch debate on Wednesday, which will be chaired by former party leader Lord Howard of Lympne.

Mr Baker says there is no clear frontrunner in the contest.

In order to be selected, a candidate has to secure at least 50% of the vote, plus one. A series of knock-out votes on the night are expected in order for one of the contenders to gain the required majority.

Mr Kanagasooriam, who lives in Whitstable, has been described by The Times as a "potential party poster boy" – and some political observers may be surprised he did not make the final four.

He is currently “deputy chair political” of the Canterbury association, his late father was the popular Whitstable GP Dr Lakshman 'David' Kanagasooriam – and Mr Baker says he is “a really good mate”.

But despite not making the cut, the local chairman says during the interviews last night Mr Kanagasooriam committed himself to helping whoever was selected as a candidate.

The winning Westminster hopeful will be tasked with overturning Ms Duffield’s majority of 187 - secured in a shock victory over Conservative Sir Julian Brazier two years ago.

Speculation over a general election is mounting and Mr Baker says he is not booking any holiday between now and next spring.

But Ms Duffield’s office today again said they were not able to confirm whether she would be standing.

Her recent comments that the Labour Party is “probably” institutionally anti-Semitic sparked a row with local chairman Ben Hickman.

He claims her comments have angered the “overwhelming majority” of Canterbury Labour Party members.

Mr Hickman says a re-selection process will be triggered in the constituency if the Canterbury or Whitstable Labour groups vote for one.

Meet the candidates:

Anna Firth, a former investment banker and barrister, is a full-time mum to three children. She is chairman of Sevenoaks Conservative Association and a district councillor on Sevenoaks District Council.

Northumberland-born Sally-Ann Hart is a district councillor in Rother, East Sussex. The married mother-of-three has specialised in both corporate finance law and family law.

Twenty-nine-year-old Kirsty Finlayson is a law firm associate who in the 2017 general election stood for the Tories in Labour-stronghold East Ham, getting 12.8% of the vote.

Angela Richardson is “deputy chairman political” of Guildford Conservatives. The mother-of-three, born in New Zealand, has a background in investment banking operations and lives in Surrey.

In reserve is James Kanagasooriam, credited with masterminding the strategy behind the Tories’ gains in Scotland at the last election. He was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and a choral scholar at Eton on a full bursary. His father was popular Whitstable GP Dr Lakshman 'David' Kanagasooriam, who died in December last year.

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