THE Conservative shortlist for a candidate to fight the York Central seat has been revealed.

In a post on the website Conservative Home, the seat is revealed to be one of the party’s “key targets”, where it will be fighting to overturn Labour MP Rachael Maskell’s 6,700 majority.

The three-strong shortlist includes no elected York councillors, but it does include a North Yorkshire councillor, a York businessman who is already a figure in the local party, and a Tesco PR boss and former party speechwriter.

Cllr Zoe Metcalfe represents Ripon on Harrogate Borough Council, and contested Doncaster Central for the Tories in 2015, winning 20 per cent of the vote.

She will be fighting for the nomination against Matt Freckelton, who is already a deputy chairman of the Conservatives in York and is director of local TV network That’s TV.

The third candidate is Ed Young, who is currently a Tesco PR boss but has worked as a speechwriter for David Cameron, and was York Minster chorister.

Chris Steward, a city councillor and deputy chairman of the party in York, said as a “red dot in a sea of blue” in North Yorkshire, York Central was a “great opportunity for the party” in this election.

In 2015, the then candidate Robert McIlveen came second with 13,000 votes, around 6,700 less than the winning candidate Rachael Maskell.