AN Asian woman barrister may be the next MP for Bolton North-east.

Yasmin Qureshi, aged 32, from Watford, was among six would-be MPs to be shortlisted last night by the constituency Labour Party.

Also in the running is Bury councillor David Crausby, who came within an ace of winning the seat at the last election when he reduced the majority of Tory MP Peter Thurnham to just 185.

Bolton councillor Frank White, formerly MP for the old Bury and Radcliffe seat, is among the contenders.

Other candidates for the nomination are Paul Goggins, national director of Church Action on Poverty, who lives in Boothstown; Bolton social worker Gaye Johnson, from Accrington; and Manchester City councillor Kath Fry, from Whalley Range. The final selection will be made on Sunday ,February 4, when each candidate will make a short presentation and face questions. Voting will take place under the new one-member, one-vote system.

Mr Crausby is considered by constituency party insiders to be the front-runner, although they stress that any one of the six could win.

Whoever is selected is almost certain to take the seat, after the influx of 10,000 largely Labour voters in Halliwell, transferred from Bolton West after boundary changes.

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