Grantham's next MP could be Jessica Swift, a highly-successful businessperson, the finance director of a respected tipper trailer manufacturing company in the town, owner of a software company, a person living within the local community and with a strong understanding of many of the issues facing its constituents.

And she's a transgender woman.

Last week, the Brexit Party unveiled Jessica as its Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for Grantham and Stamford.

The choice whether to reference her gender change in the announcement PR was left to Jessica…and she decided to do so.

Her reasoning was straightforward, she told Grantham Nub News: "I deliberately raised this now so we could talk about it and then move on to issues which matter to people in the constituency.

"The people of Grantham and Stamford deserve an MP who will work to improve their lives not the usual Tory 'safe seat' occupants who have no interest in the constituency or its people.

"Two issues stand out, the hospital in Grantham and safety on the A1 (particularly south of Grantham). There are other concerns over crime and antisocial behaviour in the towns, inwards investment for employment and empty shops in the high streets.

"And speaking as a local businesswoman I also know we have a skills shortage which ultimately stems from education."

It would be easy to dismiss Jessica's selection as a publicity stunt, as there is a clear strategy within the Brexit Party to 'rebrand' itself to some degree with a more wholesome, rounded image.

No longer the perceived resting home of disgruntled, bigoted Tories or racist NIMBYs, its other PPCs alongside Jessica include women, those of Sikh and Ugandan ethnic backgrounds, at least one gay man.

And as for a trans woman…surely that was a headline opportunity far too good to miss for the Brexit Party's totemic leader and self-publicist extraordinaire, Nigel Farage?

"Or it could be argued that I was the best applicant," suggests Jessica, who was one of around 3,000 who initially applied to represent the Brexit Party.

This was whittled down to 1,500 for the next interview stage, with 150 successfully chosen to stand in the next election.

Says Jessica: "It was a pretty intense process to examine your views, objectives and values. I raised my gender status at the interview, it was not mentioned before this point."

So, having never stood for a political position before, locally or nationally, why now and why the Brexit Party? She explains that failing to deliver an exit from the EU was a driving force behind her decision.

"I have not been involved in politics other than taking a keen interest. You can be frustrated about something, or you can work to change it…I chose to try.

"I was angry at our MPs betrayal of the democratic will of the electorate. I have been following Nigel [Farage] for years and I feel very strongly the UK should leave Europe - I have for as long as I have followed politics.

"I strongly support the objectives of the party and its general political position, so when the opportunity arose to become a PPC for the Brexit Party I applied.

"There are many reasons to leave the EU but the key amongst these for me are sovereignty and the economic benefits. By leaving the EU we re-establish the full accountability of our sovereign government.

"Economically, the EU is a closed trade block with external tariff barriers, it preserves inefficient industries and raises the input prices of goods purchased from outside. Trade deals are difficult to strike as the EU is comprised of 27 states all of which have their own objectives; hence why the EU has so few deals, which take so long to agree.

"Then there is the Euro…if we remained in the EU the pressure to join would have increased. The Euro's value is an average of the economic strength across all member states and this works to the advantage of the successful states and the disadvantage of the weaker states.

"The Euro is economically unsound and has been from day one."

Jessica is clearly comfortable talking economics. She is Finance and Systems Director of Fruehauf, a large Grantham manufacturing business. She also owns a software business which is in the late developmental stage.

With a degree in Accountancy and Finance from Liverpool John Moores University, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1992 and later trained herself in software engineering, which she followed with post graduate study with The Open University to add more theory to her practical experience.

And she is passionate about education, hailing it as 'the key to opportunity' and about speaking as a transwoman fighting for equality.

If elected at the next general election, Jessica would become the first openly trans MP in Westminster. Should that happen, and even in these enlightened times of equality and closer scrutiny of media intrusion, her gender would almost certainly become a talking point.

Born male, Jessica says she knew for "most of her life" that she was a woman. So, what was she called before her transition? Who was that person? She replies: "I've always been me; now I just live my life as who I really am. My previous name is not relevant."

What was childhood like? "The same as most people, I guess. I come from a happy home and had a normal upbringing."

It was not before she was in her early 40s, in 2010, until she started her transition, which was completed six years ago. What has the reaction been like from friends and family? "Everyone who knows you well prior to transition goes through a process of adjustment. We all adjusted, and my family have been very supportive - as were most people I knew."

Has she faced discrimination and how has this shaped her as a person? "Some, in my case mostly behind my back and usually for personal advantage of some description. Most people genuinely do not care, which is how it should be.

"I have become more aware of people as a result of my transition, more able to read and understand others. I was always focused and determined but I have become stronger and more resilient."

Does it really matter, that she could become the first transgender MP, or have we moved on as a society from making distinctions? "It matters to underline that we are moving on from those distinctions, each step forward is a step to eliminate inequalities."

Discussion over the gender and sexuality of its MP is not something unfamiliar to this region. Incumbent MP Nick Boles is an openly gay man.

So, could Jessica be successful? Boles quit the Conservative Party earlier this year over its handling of Brexit and it's not yet known whether he will stand again.

Grantham and Stamford Conservatives last week announced Yorkshireman Gareth Davies as their candidate for the constituency.

On paper, he appears a shoo-in, as the conservatives posted a 20,094 majority last time round in 2017. The Director of a global investment company, a founding Trustee Director of a charitable foundation, Davies stood as a PPC at the 2010 (lost to Rosie Winterton LAB, Doncaster Central) and 2017 (lost to Hilary Benn LAB, Leeds Central) General Elections.

But he lives in Yorkshire. And with one of the main criticisms of incumbent MP Nick Boles being his lack of visibility in the constituency and lack of action on key local issues – he lives in London – Jessica's Lincolnshire roots could be a strength.

So, whether Grantham and Stamford, or even Westminster itself, is ready for a transgender MP remains to be seen. But as Brexit continues to unfold, some might say unravel, and the prospects of a General Election loom ever large, we may find out sooner rather than later.