There’s been some chopping and changing on the Mid-Norfolk shortlist after the glamorous Louise Bagshawe found success in Corby and Maria Hutchings, who lashed out at Blair on live TV last year over special school closures, wants to concentrate on Stevenage.

Two very well-bred ladies will be filling their shoes at the next round on Saturday, Annunziata Rees-Mogg, daughter of William Rees-Mogg, former editor of The Times, and Laura Sandys, daughter of former defence minister Sir Duncan Sandys.

Laura has an impressive background as a political consultant specialising in foreign and defence policy. I don’t know how she failed to be selected first time round. She does not seem to be very lucky, she also failed to be chosen as a Tory candidate last year, despite being on two shortlists.

But a Google search failed to reveal anything at all about Annunziata, despite being a journalist, I have no idea what she has written, though I believe she did last year stand in the safe Labour seat of Abervon, so she has cut her political teeth.

I am disappointed that neither of the two local candidates who pitched themselves against 18 A-listers were not given the chance to go through to the next round. I’ve never seen a more carefully chosen list – five men, and five women, 1 ethnic minority on each side. This will next be whittled down to four.

I’m not sure how this selection process works, but I would have thought if a candidate was keen on a seat, they would not apply for others at the same time, it does not show commitment to the constituency. And this new seat is worth fighting for, it will almost certainly go blue. Pulling out at this stage will leave local people feeling that the candidates were not genuine in the first place. I wonder if any others also have their sights set on other seats and will also step down before the end of the week. I hope they will be told by the local association, that that is not on, it makes a mockery of the whole process.

Update: 10.30pm. Champagne corks popping for Annunziata who has now been selected for Somerset and Frome. Sheonly lasted a day on the shortlist. Will there be any candidates left for Mid-Norfolk, I wonder. It is a nice place, honestly!