IT was standing room only at Warrington's Parr Hall last night when the Conservative Party threw open its doors for the public to choose a future parliamentary candidate.

A shortlist of three Tory hopefuls went head to head in the first American style open "primary" election ever to be held in the UK.

Party leaders described last night's event as "an historic moment in British politics".

More than 300 people regis-tered to attend last night's meeting where they voted for who would represent the Conservatives in the Warrington South seat at the next General Election.

Their only qualification was that they had to be registered voters in the constituency and not party supporters or members.

In the past, it has been individual constituency associations who have had the task of selecting suitable candidates for an election.

At the end of the evening, it was 46-year-old Warrington solicitor and mother of two Fiona Bruce who emerged as the clear winner against her two rivals, David Sutton and Chris Bromby.

A delighted Mrs Bruce said afterwards: "I'm excited to have made history in Warrington.

"We've given Warrington people an opportunity to select not just the party, or the policies but the person they want to represent Warrington South.

"It's thrilling that they have put their confidence in me, a local person, who has built a business, had a family here, and been involved in so many differ-ent community associations.

"Over 300 people switched off their tellies and came to an event in the centre of the town. They are interested in politics and what's happening in this country.

"There has been virtual silence from the Lib Dems and Labour over this, over the past week. They've realised it's positive and it's not a gimmick."

Mrs Bruce also revealed that a number of other potential candidates were put off standing for the seat when they realised they would be subjected to an open selection process.

But she added that she felt confident other constituencies would follow Warrington's lead.

The evening consisted of each candidate giving a 10-minute speech followed by 20 minutes of questions from the floor.

First up was 34-year-old industrial process worker Dave Sutton, from Middlewich, in Cheshire, who gave a confident speech and stressed his local connections.

He was followed Liverpool-born Chris Bromby, 46, who now lives in London, where he runs his own investment company.

Finally, Fiona Bruce came on the stage to a tumultuous welcome from the audience in the hall.

The diminutive solicitor then proceeded to woo the assembled audience with tales of her humble background, and her struggle to create a business and raise a family in Warrington.

It was clear even before the vote had been taken, that she would emerge as the winner.

Mike Haworth, chairman of the selection committee, said: "It was a very successful experiment from our point of view. The sheer numbers of people who attended showed that we got it right."