The Tories last night cut half the would-be candidates for the new Mid Norfolk parliamentary seat - and former Coronation Street star Adam Rickitt remains in the running to achieve his dream of becoming an MP.

The Tories last night cut half the would-be candidates for the new Mid Norfolk parliamentary seat - and former Coronation Street star Adam Rickitt remains in the running to achieve his dream of becoming an MP.

All the remaining 10 hopefuls, including Mr Rickitt, are from Tory leader David Cameron's A-list, while the two local wannabe MPs have been rejected.

A 15-strong panel of local Tories spent the weekend in Swaffham interviewing the applicants and selected those to go forward to the next stage of the selection process at Dereham next Saturday.

The final decision will be made on October 21.

As well as Mr Rickitt, the other nine on the shortlist are chic-lit novelist Louise Bagshawe, former parliamentary candidate Vicky Ford, Cambridgeshire-based businessman George Freeman, 2005 CBI entrepreneur of the future Samuel Gyimah, disabled rights champion Maria Hutchings, Brentwood Council leader Brandon Lewis, former deputy leader of Westminster Council Kit Malthouse, West Sussex councillor Anne-Marie Morris and Priti Patel, who was press officer for ex-leader William Hague.

The names of the 10 unsuccessful candidates have not been made public, although they are thought to include foreign and defence specialist Laura Sandys, MP Anne McIntosh and policy guru to Mr Cameron, Jesse Norman,

The re-structured seat - seen as a safe Tory stronghold - has been

created as part of boundary changes. Current Mid Norfolk MP Keith Simpson will be contesting the new Broadland seat.

See tomorrow's EDP for an insight into the 10 would-be candidates.