Updated: Former Wirral West MP Esther McVey shortlisted for George Osborne's Tatton seat

The website conhome exclusively revealed the news on Monday morning saying: “She completes the shortlist of three for Tatton...but faces abolition and merging with neighbouring Altrincham if boundary changes proceed as previously drafted.

“McVey, a television presenter and businesswoman, narrowly lost her seat in the 2015 General Election and has since been the focus of much speculation about a possible Parliamentary comeback.”

Tatton Conservative Association later confirmed the rumours.

George Osborne with Esther McVey in Wirral during the 2015 election campaign

Local officials said they will be selecting a candidate this Wednesday with “Trafford Council deputy leader Cllr Alex Williams, Northern Powerhouse champion Katherine Fletcher and former Wirral West MP Esther McVey in the running.”

Ex-Chancellor Mr Osborne has quit parliament to become editor the Evening Standard. He won Tatton with a massive majority of more than 18,000 at the last general election.

Ms McVey was defeated by Labour’s Margaret Greenwood in 2015 by just 417 votes.

The marginal constituency again will be a key battleground for Labour and Tories.

The people of Tatton could be in for an interesting election if the ex-Wirral MP is selected to stand.

Flashback to the 2015 general election in Hoylake

Last time around the campaign to unseat Ms Mcvey - branded a “murderer” in graffiti scrawled across the former town hall in Hoylake’s Market Street in the run-up to polling day - ended up being one of the most vicious in the country.

A Labour MP refused to apologise for quoting a constituent who called for Ms McVey to be "lynched."

Opponents called her “Esther McVile” for cuts to disability benefits.

And shadow chancellor John McDonnell went on to blast Ms McVey as a "stain of inhumanity."

The leader of Wirral Council Conservative group Jeff Green said at the time he was ''shocked and appalled'' by the graffiti incident. 

And he demanded the "misogynistic bullying'' of Ms McVey must be brought to an end.

Moreton councillor Chris Blakeley, who worked for the MP, said: "This is beyond politics.

"A line has been crossed here. When you get to this level you really are in the pits.

"No other MP in the whole country is being subjected to this sort of hatred."

Labour councillor Matthew Daniel said of the incident: “If the Tories are trying to imply this had anything to do with the Labour Party they need to be very careful about making wild and unfounded accusations and we would expect them to apologise for any such allegations immediately."

With 45 days until the snap general election, the seven-day rolling average of all published polls shows support for the Conservatives stands at 47%.