After last night's shock announcement that East Devon MP Sir Hugo Swire will step down at the next election Nub News has been trying to find out who will replace him as the Conservative candidate at the next election.

So far there has been no official announcement from the East Devon Conservative Association on who will replace Sir Hugo but there is a clear process laid out by the national Conservative Party for selecting his successor.

First of all someone interested in becoming a Conservative candidate must contact the national party's Candidates' Team.

This team will give advice to potential candidates on what they can do to improve their chances of being put on an 'Approved List'.

As long as you are over 18 and a UK, Irish or Commonwealth citizen you will then be invited to attend a Forum held in you region.

This gives potential candidates an opportunity to speak informally with local party members.

After attending a local forum potential candidates must fill out an application form. The form asks about the candidates' life, political experience, career and will try to discover more about them as a person.

The potential candidates must also be able to provide three referees. These could be employers, someone who knows them well on or someone else connected to the party. At least one of the referees must have known the candidate for at least five years.

If, on the basis of the application form and references, it is felt the potential candidate's experience and skills are suitable they will be invited to attend a Parliamentary Assessment Board (PAB).

This is the final stage of the application process and can last up to five hours. Candidates will be assessed by sitting MPs and senior party volunteers.

In order to attend a PAB candidates must have been a party member for at least three months and must pay £250 to cover the costs of hiring a venue and running an assessment day.

According to the Conservative Party's official guidance for potential candidates, the party is looking for candidates with:

-Communications skills

-Intellect

-The ability to relate to people

-Leadership and motivational skills

-Resilience and drive

-Conviction

If a potential candidate fails the PAB they may be able to apply again or they might be encouraged to continue volunteering for their local party.

If a potential candidate does pass the PAB they are then added to the Conservative Party's Approved List of Parliamentary Candidates. Once on that list candidates can then apply to constituencies that are in need of a candidate.

Local Constituency Associations, in this case the East Devon Conservative Association (EDCA), have the final say in who will become their candidate.

The EDCA will interview potential candidates and, through a selection process, decide upon their preferred candidate.