The woman who would conquer Mr Hague

Now she hopes to outshine the opposition leader in his own backyard - the safe Conservative constituency of Richmond- where she has been selected as Labour's parliamentary candidate

At 26, she has amassed a rich bag of political and social experience and is clearly determined to make her mark in the political arena.

Sounding determined and down-to-earth during a telephone conversation shortly after her candidacy was announced, she is clearly in the mould of the new Labour woman.

For the past year she has worked as an executive officer for the Co-operative party preparing briefings on government policy, been a political analyst for the European Socialist party in Brussels and a history teacher in an inner city comprehensive school.

By her own admission she is a woman who thrives on fresh challenges. Arguably being selected to stand as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Richmond against Mr William Hague is a tougher assignment than taking up a post as history teacher at Heworth Grange comprehensive school, Gateshead, in September.

Born in Saffron Walden, the only daughter of a Labour councillor, she says she has lived and breathed politics for most of her life.

The family moved to Whickham, near Newcastle, when she was a toddler and two years later her father, Paul. was re-elected as a local councillor, a role he has now enjoyed for more than 25 years.

"I guess when I was younger I was a bit of a political anorak," she admits, "but I was also very much an academic anorak too, becoming a student welfare and environment officer at Jesus college and secretary to the cultural/debating society.

"I remember when I was a child, people would always be tramping through the house on election days clutching bits of paper and leaning over pasting tables set up in the dining room.

"As I got older I helped dad deliver leaflets around the ward, albeit under sufferance, but my brother Mark always refused to have anything to do with any of it - and still does."

Mark is not the only one to have strayed - her grandmother was a staunch Liberal.

"Dad stood against my grandmother during a local election once and won. Afterwards he found out that my grandfather had voted for him but was sworn to secrecy."

After completing a lengthy candidacy selection process, Miss Tinnion picked Penrith, Hexham, Berwick and Richmond as possible constituencies to represent.

"I was staggered when I found out that I had been selected for Richmond. In fact I am still on cloud nine now. I wanted a northern constituency and I thrive on a challenge, so I am absolutely delighted."

She has done her homework on her new political patch and claims to be well clued up on key issues facing rural communities. She passionately opposes hunting and believes that without farming subsidies, the countryside would go to the wall.

"We have to work within the constraints of government finances but subsidies are essential.

"Farming does not just provide us with basic needs, it also maintains the countryside. Without farming communities we would all have to pay to look after the countryside. We have to look at other ways of diversification to deal with some of the problems."

She knows she faces a tough campaign ahead but she believes Mr Hague has many weaknesses in his strategy. "He is going for short-term personal capital and has been doing that since he became leader," she said.

"Championing the Tony Martin case (the farmer jailed for shooting an intruder on his land) and jumping on asylum-seekers gets initial support but he starts to come unstuck when people actually think deeper into these issues.

"Hague also supports schools opting out of LEA control and wants to see money going directly to schools themselves, but I think this would be a disaster for rural schools. Transporting pupils to school alone would seriously affect any small school budget and teachers are not trained to deal with financial matters on this scale.

"If he becomes prime minister this could be a big issue for all rural schools."

As a former member of the strategic planning and analysis unit for the European Socialist party in Brussels, she is very aware of the complex issues surrounding the future of the pound.

"The pound is the least strong out of all the four major currencies and manufacturing is suffering.

"However, I know there is no way the population would vote in favour of the euro right now.

"I think the Prime Minister's decision of wait and see is right but I also believe that once the euro comes into full circulation and holidaymakers see how little their exchange rate is compared to the Germans and the French, then they will change their minds.

"I want to see us all work together as one in Europe but at the end of the day everybody always wants to cling on to their own identity."

Having worked in London since August last year, she is horrified at how little Southerners know about the North.

"When my colleagues found out I was running for MP in Richmond they all automatically thought it was Richmond in Surrey. None had heard of Richmond in North Yorkshire. There is no wonder things happen quicker in the South."

With such a heavy agenda ahead, Miss Tinnion hopes she can claw a little time back to indulge in her favourite things - Tolstoy's War and Peace, chocolate, Chinese food and sightseeing in Cumbria