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David Cameron's plans to promote women are in crisis today as a high-flying candidate faces possible deselection for having an affair.
Elizabeth Truss, 34, faces an emergency meeting in South West Norfolk after local Tories discovered she had a fling with a married MP five years ago.
Officials from party headquarters were pleading for her to be spared the axe to avoid embarrassing Mr Cameron. It is just a week since he pledged to use all-women shortlists to pressure traditionalist Conservatives into accepting more female candidates.
Ms Truss, whose name was on Mr Cameron's "A-list" of favoured high-flyers, was chosen on Saturday by a meeting of 100 local members. But hours later they learned a Sunday newspaper was planning to link the married mother-of-two to Mark Field, the Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster.
Although details of their 18-month affair dating back to 2005 were available on the internet, it emerged that the local party, its executive officers and even the party agent were completely in the dark.
Some local members said they felt they had been treated as fools by their candidate. "She must think we are idiots in Norfolk," said one local Tory officer. Another said the mood ranged from "so what?" to "extreme anger".
Ms Truss told her local paper: "I assumed people knew about it." She said "national and regional" officers certainly knew, adding: "It's in the past. It's water under the bridge as far as my family and I are concerned."
Her marriage survived the affair but Mr Field was divorced soon after.
A Conservative spokesman said: "There are 91 [female] Conservative candidates already and we hope to have many more."
Reader views (5)
perhaps one must not judge so harshly politicians or potential politicians - they are human beings as we all are and many do an excellent job and dedicate their every day lives, 24/7 to the job. This potential MP made a mistake, is open and honest about it and has a great family round her....let her prove herself to her constituents - the voters will decide! It is ludicrous to let a talented individual go for the sake of such narrow mindedness....we need this talent to help form the policies of this country and get us out of this mess!
- Sarah K, London, 27/10/2009 12:17
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...and is anyone interested in whether or not she could do the job? Or are they only interested in muck-raking? (I'm a Tory, but this kind of nonsense throws perfectly good candidates onto the scrap-heap because of puritanical and utterly pointless perpetual punishment moralising!)
- Rogan, Irving, 26/10/2009 16:48
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This is nothing to do with the women candidates effort - it's about whether the local constituency want an MP that is willing to betray their nearest and dearest. After all, if they are willing to do this, what's to say they won't also betray the voters?
- H Morgan, London, 26/10/2009 15:49
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Whatever happened to Tory family values - always do as we say, not as we do. Not a single moral between them.
- Steve S, London, 26/10/2009 15:30
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How about the right person for the job?
I am sitting here thinking the Conservatives will be going into the general election with the same very poor standards that Labour currently have.
Unfortunately the Tories are seemingly no better.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 26/10/2009 15:07
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