TWO early favourites emerged from the weekend all-woman scrap over Labour's choice of candidate to fight the next election in Bishop Auckland.

Fifteen names were whittled down to a shortlist of four on Saturday with constituency workers predicting a difficult choice between former North-East MEP Mo O'Toole and Downing Street speechwriter Liz Lloyd.

Along with Derbyshire challenger Helen Goodman and former Croydon councillor Anne Moore-Williams, they are having a busy week canvassing Bishop Auckland's 450 rank-and-file Labour members who make the final selection on Saturday morning.

Even before last Saturday's hustings at Gosforth, Dr O'Toole and Ms Lloyd were knocking on the doors of prominent party figures in the town.

Dr O'Toole is already well known in Bishop Auckland and has the backing of Phil Graham, a Durham County councillor who had hopes of following sitting MP Derek Foster until the selection became an all-woman contest.

He said: "I am putting my money fair and square behind Mo, who I have known for many years.

"I was disappointed not to be given the opportunity to put myself up for selection but the decision has been taken and we must move on."

Wear Valley councillor Margaret Douthwaite was impressed by both Liz Lloyd and Mo O'Toole when she and other members met them. She said: "It is going to be a very difficult choice."

Veteran Shildon politician Walter Nunn believes the selection was 'rigged' by Labour's governing body the National Executive Committee. He said: "There a lot of people like me who resent all-women shortlists. Women have been very good for the Labour Party but they are the first to say it should be an open contest.

"I was told in an anonymous phone call a year ago that Derek Foster would step down at the last minute and somebody would be parachuted in."

But constituency chairman Peter Moore is sure the process has been fair. He said: "I was at the meeting on Saturday and it was completely above board. I know what is being said, but I want to debunk the conspiracy theories absolutely.

"I was as close to the process as anybody and felt under no pressure to shortlist any particular candidate."

Helen Goodman, of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, is chief executive of the National Association of Toy Libraries, which works with SureStart schemes in the Bishop Auckland area. Married with two children, she worked for the Treasury for 17 years and regards economic regeneration as a priority.

Liz Lloyd has been a researcher for Tony Blair since be became Labour leader and has campaigned for Labour in local, regional and national elections and advises the PM on crime, anti-social behaviour, international development and Africa.

Anne Moore-Williams is an ex-Reuters journalist who now practices as a commercial lawyer. She failed to win Bexhill and Battle for Labour in 2001, when she was a member of Croydon council.

Dr Barbara 'Mo' O'Toole was an MEP for the region for five years and a councillor. The former wife of Darlington MP Alan Milburn, she headed Press and Policy for the international arm of the Local Government Association and is currently director of a public affairs company.