Community leaders have helped draw up the shortlist for a new Tory parliamentary candidate.

Entrepreneur Mike Holland, recently involved in saving the British Engineerium museum in Hove and Newlands School in Seaford, was among the panel appointing candidates for the Conservatives in Hove and Portslade.

Also choosing the candidates was teacher Louise Thomas, district nurse Susan Martin and retired police detective chief inspector Mike Kelly.

The candidates have been named as Tariq Ahmad, Priti Patel, Simon Walker and Mike Weatherley.

All had to pass tests which involved meeting other members of the public.

Last year, Nicholas Boles lost to Labour's Celia Barlow in one of the closest contests of the General Election.

Now the Tories are determined they will choose a winner and wanted outsiders to help them.

They were responding to the wish of new Tory leader David Cameron to broaden the kind of candidates available for selection.

Recently, author Louise Bagshawe, 34, from Bexhill, was tipped as a future Conservative MP. Ms Bagshawe, daughter of former deputy leader of East Sussex County Council Daphne Bagshawe, has been added to a list of candidates to be steered into a Tory safe seat at the next election.

The final selection for the Hove and Portslade candidate will be made on July 18 after candidates have been questioned by an independent moderator.

It was a safe Conservative seat from its foundation in 1950 until Labour won the seat in 1997.