TATTON Tories will pick their next budding MP from a secret list of 23 names.

Constituency chairman Mark Stocks refused to name anyone on the list - or even how many candidates had failed to make it past the first hurdle.

"There is an enormous media interest in who the candidate is and it would be unfair for candidates who haven't been chosen," he said.

But Mr Stocks did admit the constituency received a substantial number of applications before last Friday's noon deadline.

The 23 candidates still in the running will be interviewed over the coming weekend by 13 members of the constituency association.

They will draw up a shortlist of eight candidates on Sunday which will be whittled down to a final quartet by 60 members of the constituency executive.

The candidates may be named during the final two stages of selection.

Mr Stocks admitted that opinion was still divided among constituency members about the best kind of candidate.

Some favour a local candidate with strong community links while others want a party big gun to put Tatton back on the map. Names reported to be interested in the seat include Michael Portillo, Chris Patten and Sebastien Coe, who all lost their seats at the last General Election.

What is clear is that the association is eager to draw a line under the Neil Hamilton affair. He lost what should have been the fifth safest Tory seat in the country to independent Martin Bell two years ago after being dogged by allegations of sleaze.

"This is the final part of the jigsaw," added Mr Stocks.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.