Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble's wife last night suffered a setback to her dream of becoming an MP when she lost a selection meeting.
Ms Daphne Trimble was defeated by businessman Basil McCrea during a selection contest for the Lagan Valley constituency.
Mr McCrea (45), who is a divorcee with two children, secured 93 votes at the selection meeting in Dunmurry while Mrs Trimble got 54 votes. He will now be the Ulster Unionist candidate against Democratic Unionist Mr Jeffrey Donaldson.
Mr Donaldson quit the Ulster Unionists earlier this year after years of feuding with Mr David Trimble over party policy.
Mrs Trimble had hoped to take on Mr Donaldson in the next General Election and had claimed that if she was chosen to be the UUP's candidate, she would win claim back the seat for the Ulster Unionists following the MP's defection.
Mr Donaldson had an 18,342 majority at the last General Election when he was an Ulster Unionist over the cross community Alliance Party's Mr Seamus Close.
Mr Close, who is an Assembly member, has been re-selected to be his party's standard bearer once again in the constituency. In last year's Assembly Election, Mr Donaldson, as an Ulster Unionist, topped the poll with 14,104 votes.
The Democratic Unionist secured 8,475 votes, but Mr Donaldson would hope to take a large proportion of the 19,069 votes the Ulster Unionists secured in that election.
Mrs Trimble's defeat follows hard on the failure of former Stormont Environment Minister Mr Dermot Nesbitt to secure the nomination to be the UUP's candidate against Democratic Unionist MP Iris Robinson in Strangford.
Mr Gareth McGimpsey, the son of South Belfast Assembly member Mr Michael McGimpsey, was chosen instead.