Deselection meeting 'over affair'

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Chairman Hugh Culver said all party members would vote on Ms Truss's candidacy

A Tory parliamentary candidate is to face a full deselection vote over an affair she had with a Conservative MP.

The 400 or so members of South West Norfolk Conservative Association will be asked to take part in a ballot on the future of Elizabeth Truss.

There is reportedly widespread anger that she did not let them know about an affair with MP Mark Field in 2004/05.

The association committee met on Tuesday and decided to put Ms Truss's future to a wider vote.

The mother of two was only chosen as a Tory candidate at the weekend.

'A-list' candidate

Soon afterwards, South West Norfolk Conservative Association members discovered that it had been reported in 2006 that she had had an affair with Mr Field, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster.

The association's executive committee met in Swaffham, Norfolk, to discuss the future of Ms Truss, one of party leader David Cameron's "A-list" of favoured applicants to become parliamentary candidates.

Chairman Hugh Culver said the committee had decided to hold a full meeting of members, followed by a vote.

Ms Truss refused to comment.

She won support from Mr Cameron, who was asked about the issue at a press conference on Tuesday.

He said: "I'm delighted that Elizabeth Truss has been selected. She's an excellent candidate and I hope that they can go forward with her."

Mr Cameron said Ms Truss's affair had "been publicly known", adding: "I hope they can get on with this selection that they've made and she can be the next MP for South West Norfolk."

Ms Truss, the deputy director of the centre-right think-tank Reform, is a councillor in Greenwich, south-east London. An Oxford graduate, she has also worked for Shell and Cable & Wireless.

She stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in 2001 and 2005, contesting the Hemsworth and Calder Valley seats.

She was selected by the Conservative association in Calder Valley after the previous candidate was voted out following claims of misconduct, which were denied.