If there had been an open primary in Hartlepool for the selection of our candidate then Alan Wright would have won by a landslide, he is a true local hero and a fantastic after-dinner speaker. Alan's selection will send an extremely positive message about the Party across the whole of the north-east region. It is testament to the work David Cameron and William Hague have done in re-connecting the Party with the north that high calibre people with a passion for their local communities, but hitherto turned off by Party-politics, like Alan, now feel at home in the Conservative Party. If I were a betting man I would be off to the bookies this morning with a handsome bet for a Conservative gain in Hartlepool at the next General Election.