Former minister Esther McVey appears set for a return to Parliament after being selected as the candidate in George Osborne’s old seat.

Ms McVey, who represented the Conservatives in Wirral West from 2010 until 2015, has been chosen to contest the Tatton seat following the ex-chancellor’s decision to quit Parliament to focus on his other jobs – including editing the London Evening Standard.

Former broadcaster Ms McVey will defend a Tory majority of more than 18,000 in the Cheshire constituency at the General Election on June 8.

Ms McVey told our sister paper the Knutsford Guardian: "I’m feeling relieved, and overwhelmed. They are both positive emotions – I am delighted.

"I have always been a very local MP. Yes, I was minister of state for employment, but I was always in my constituency.

"That’s what I love – meeting with people, knowing what’s going in the local community, going to arts groups or theatre groups or primary schools. That’s what I enjoy doing and what I will enjoy here.

"If they look at my track record I was always local.

"I was voted even by the Liverpool Echo as the hardest working local MP. That’s what I have always done. I will be here, I will be local. I’ll be moving in straight away.

"I did have other jobs but I always said should I have been selected I would cease all other work straight away.

"This is my job – I will be the local MP."