Lawyer Helen Grant made political history by becoming the first black woman to be selected to defend a Tory seat.
The former Judo Champion dealt her rivals a deadly blow, knocking them out of the Conservative nomination race to repre¬sent Ann Widdecombe’s seat of Maidstone and The Weald in the next General Election. Widdecombe will stand down from the Kent seat at the election, after 20 years in the job.
Grant will have a difficult challenge following in the footsteps of the Tory old-timer, who was both popular and respected for her tough and hard-hitting political style as an MP.
Helen said: ‘It is a great honour to have been given this opportunity and I hope I can go some way to emu¬late my predecessor in speaking up for the people of Maidstone and The Weald. I will work hard for all those who live in the constituency and look forward to taking on the many challenges that lie ahead’
Grant, 43, who runs her own law firm specialising in family breakdown and com¬munity law, was on the ‘A list’ set up by the Conservative leader, David Cameron, to fast track more minority ethnic women into winnable scats. She will now defend a 15,000 major¬ity in the party’s 10th safest seat.
If she wins, she will become the party’s first black female MP.
Tory supporters have hailed Grant’s success in Kent as a breakthrough in Cameron’s attempts to modernise the party’s image.
Caroline Spelman, Conservative Party Chairman, said: ‘Helen’s selection as the candidate for Maidstone and The Weald is great news and further proof of the changes that have happened in the Conservative Party under Cameron.
`As you’d expect the cali¬bre of applicants for this Parliamentary seat was very high indeed and Helen’s success is a credit to her and the local association. Helen has a high standard to live up to but I have no doubt she will excel.’
The mother of two was previously a shadow on Operation Black Vote’s Member of Parliament Shadowing Scheme.
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