THE new Tory candidate for West Worcestershire says she will spend all her time in the constituency by the end of the year.

Harriett Baldwin was selected at a meeting at The Chase high school, Malvern, on Saturday, June 15.

At the next election, she will fight the seat held by Sir Michael Spicer for the Conservatives since 1974.

Mrs Baldwin, aged 46, was born in Essex, attended Oxford University and works as a pensions and investment manager for J P Morgan.

"I plan to be full-time in the area," she said. "By the end of the year I will have handed over all my responsibilities at work."

She said she and her husband will start looking for a house in the constituency immediately; until then she will visit West Worcestershire, which she called "one of the most beautiful parts of the country", as often as possible.

Mrs Baldwin is one of the candidates from Tory leader David Cameron's priority list, which entailed passing a number of tough tests in negotiation, public speaking, logic and other disciplines.

"It's definitely a gruelling process, but we as a party are determined to run the next government, and we need people who will be good at running the country," she said.

Saturday's meeting attracted over 200 party members, who chose Mrs Baldwin from a shortlist of three.