AN AMERICAN-STYLE "primary" election will allow the people of Warrington to choose their Conservative candidate at the next General Election.

Voters in the Warrington South constituency are to be allowed to pick which candidate from a short-list of three should go forward to the main vote.

They must choose between a Wirral-born stockbroker from London, a solicitor from Warrington, and a shop-floor process worker from Middlewich.

The vote will be open not just to Conservative Party members but to every member of the public who lives in the constituency and who registers to vote before November 10.

All three candidates will face the electorate at an Open Primary at Parr Hall on November 12, when the winner will be decided.

It is the first time such a method has been used in the UK and means that - if they want - die-hard Labour supporters could help decide who their Conservative opponent will be at the General Election.

Conservatives hope the primary will catch the public's imagination and create a renewed interest in local politics.

Mike Haworth, local Tory spokesman, said: "This is the first time a political party has asked all the voters in a constituency to help select its candidate.

"This form of selection shows the Conservative Party is willing and able to connect with ordinary people and that we are prepared to make ourselves available to them."

The recent postal strike has slowed down registrations but they already number more than 100.

Mr Haworth said: "It's hard to guess numbers but if we don't get enough people then the experiment will have failed.

"If they are not interested out there, then it will really show the cynicism about politics."

All three candidates expressed themselves very pleased with the primary process.

Warrington solicitor Fiona Bruce, 46, said: "It feels fantastic to have this open primary.

"It's an opportunity for us to show we are interested in people, take their questions, listen to their views and put ourselves to them for selection. I think we have had soundbite politics for far too long."

Of course the other key question on everybody's lips was the ousting of Iain Duncan Smith and the imminent appointment of Michael Howard as party leader.

Catching the national mood, unity was the order of the day in Warrington South.

Fellow candidate Chris Bromby, 46, a Wirral-born managing director, said: "IDS has given us some great policies to take forward and Michael Howard looks as if he will now be the man to deliver them.

"What's past is past and we need to look to the future. Michael Howard is a man of his beliefs and has said he wants to lead from the centre which is great. You only have to see how he has handled Gordon Brown at Question Time to see his credentials."

The third candidate, David Sutton, 34, from Middlewich, was also keen to focus on Conservative policies.

He said: "IDS has given us strong policies on crime, on education and the NHS. We've got to unite behind the new leader and get that policy message across.

"The Government wants us to be talking about leadership elections rather than about the issues.

"Michael Howard is a strong candidate who will help us get our views across. We need to give people the policies and the options."

THE CANDIDATES
* FIONA BRUCE - a 46-year-old solicitor who has lived in Warrington for 13 years since marrying husband Richard. Her firm Fiona Bruce and Co in Stockton Heath now employs 30 people, including 12 solicitors. She has established a free legal advice surgery in an area which did not have a Citizens Advice Bureau. A mother of two, she was voted "Most Inspiring Businesswoman" by readers of She magazine this year.

* DAVID SUTTON - a 34-year-old shopfloor process worker, who is married with a 20-month-old baby son. He is a borough councillor in Congleton and a Cheshire County councillor. A straight talker who dislikes spin and rhetoric.

* CHRIS BROMBY - a 46-year-old former stockbroker, he was born in Liverpool and was educated at Wirral Grammar School. Worked at the Liverpool stock exchange for three years from 1975 before moving to the City of London as a floor trader. Joined a Japanese firm and specialised in Far Eastern markets. Set up his own investment company where he has been managing director for five years. A Conservative Party member since 1982, he still lives in London. A divorcee, he has a 17-year-old daughter.