‘KATE Hollern is established as local favourite to succeed Jack Straw as Labour’s candidate for Blackburn – an uncomfortable place to be.

If she wins the nomination next month, the Blackburn with Darwen Council leader can expect to follow him into the House of Commons in May 2015.

However, the feisty Scot knows being the obvious choice is no guarantee of success.

Many ‘favourites’ get derailed in Parliamentary selections because opponents find an outsider to rally behind.

When Kitty Ussher became candidate for Burnley in 2004, she slipped between former MP Peter Pike’s agent Carole Galbraith and North-West Labour party favourite Debbie Brannan. The rumour mill that accompanies the choice of any Labour Parliamentary candidate is already in full swing as the shortlisting process starts.

It claims Kate, aged 57, is keeping the seat warm for Mr Straw’s son, Will, to transfer from marginal Rossendale and Darwen in one or two election’s time.

Or she has done a deal with her deputy Mohammed Khan to take over as leader of Blackburn with Darwen when she departs for Westminster, to secure the Asian vote?

Not something that will please fellow number two Andy Kay and his supporters.

And it alleges constituency secretary Phil Riley is stitching up the whole process for his mate Kate. The rumours brew as Coun Hollern and Coun Riley deny any skullduggery.

Manchester councillor Nasrin Ali comes with the backing of the city’s Labour establishment, Middleton Labour activist Ann Courtney contests the left-wing vote with Agnieska Grabianka-Hindley, daughter of former East Lancashire Euro-MP Michael Hindley.

With other candidates coming from Wolverhampton, London and Huddersfield with an Asian pedigree for a seat many believe should have an Asian MP, there is plenty to go wrong.

Kate must hope the many enemies inevitably made during her climb to the top of the greasy pole of Blackburn Labour politics cannot find a rival to gather round.

And that activists remember Kitty’s time as Burnley MP led to Labour losing the seat to local Liberal Democrat Gordon Birtwistle.