Great news, James Tumbridge has made it through to the final round for the Mid-Norfolk selection following his breathtaking transatlantic return home from a long weekend in Canada. The final decision will be made next Saturday.

He will be standing against health campaigner Vicky Ford, businessman George Freeman and political consultant Laura Sandys.

As you can imagine, James, a barrister, is thrilled and has been inundated with calls from well wishers. It’s an incredible achievement, considering he only had 4 hours sleep and was originally standing against 18 A-listers, which did not include him. All the odds were stacked against James, he still has one major hurdle to overcome. And he is the only local candidate.

James told me:

“The local association left a message on my mobile while I was flying over the Atlantic to Canada. When I arrived, I turned my phone on and there was a message saying I was through. I was at the airport with my wife Laura and we had a discussion and she was really good about it, so I came back.

“I’m so thrilled to have got through to the final round. I have been inundated with calls from well wishers, I really appreciate all the support I have had.”

This weekend clearly demonstrated passion and commitment and highlighted the talent James has.

And don’t worry, James didn’t abandon his wife in Canada, they were meeting up with his in-laws, so Laura remained behind in very good hands.

James is thoroughly decent and genuine and would be a great asset to David Cameron’s team.
It’s been going to be a very loooooooooooong week…

Update: 16 October, local press report on the selection.

Update: 18 October, changes to list.

Update: 20 October, Chris Fisher to interview finalists.