TV's satirical star Ian Hislop dragged into Tory row over women MPs

Ian Hislop has become embroiled in a row over David Cameron's drive for more women Tory MPs.

Hislop, the editor of satirical political magazine Private Eye, is to "compere" a selection meeting organised to choose the successor to retiring MP Ann Widdecombe.

But the meeting is clouded in controversy, with local Tories in Miss Widdecombe's Kent constituency of Maidstone and The Weald describing the selection process as a farce because they say it favours women candidates.

Hislop, who is famous for putting politicians on the spot on the BBC's satirical review Have I Got News For You, will grill the nine candidates before a vote by the local Tory association's 500 members.

He lives in the area and has agreed to help out because he knows Miss Widdecombe, who has hosted the BBC show.

But a bitter row is raging among local Tories over Mr Cameron's determination to have more women selected for winnable constituencies.

In line with an order from Tory high command, Maidstone's Tories must whittle down the shortlist of six men and three women to two men and two women to go before a final selection meeting.

The instruction has sparked anger from some Tories who object to what one insider described as "Central Office sticking its oar into a local party matter".

And sources claim Tory HQ has also intervened to insist on a third woman candidate being added after the local party picked just two.

"They realised that under the rules they are imposing, those two women would get through to the last round even if Hislop made a complete fool of them next week," said one local Tory.

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Concerns were sparked over the inclusion on the candidate list of Vicky Ford, who fought Labour-held Birmingham Northfield for the Tories at the 2005 General Election.

She was knocked out at a previous stage of the selection process but was reprieved, said a Tory source.

All but one of the nine candidates is on Mr Cameron's "A-list" of candidates given preferential treatment for winnable seats.

Mrs Ford, 40, a councillor in South Cambridgeshire, said yesterday that she knew nothing about the selection row and denied her name had been added to the list after the other two women A-list hopefuls, Helen Grant and Julia Manning.

Alan Chell, the local Tory chairman, denied regional officials had interfered and said he was happy to stick to guidelines from HQ.

Tim Montgomerie from the website conservativehome.blogs.com, which is aimed at grass-root supporters, said: "The Party would strongly prefer a woman to succeed Ann Widdecombe."

Mr Hislop said he was unaware of the row and said he would be "appalled and outraged, and highly amused" if it were true.