Tories set to replace Flight with woman

Ousted Tory MP Howard Flight could be replaced by a woman candidate as part of the Conservatives' bid to modernise their image.

More than 200 people have applied for the safe seat of Arundel and South Downs and half of the final shortlist will be women.

Mr Flight's political career looked to be all but over today as Conservative Central Office pushed ahead with finding a new Parliamentary candidate to replace him. The former deputy chairman, who was kicked out of the party for suggesting the Tories had a secret agenda to cut public services, believes that, legally, he cannot be removed without his association's say-so. However a meeting to select his replacement is expected to take place on Wednesday.

The Tories have selected women in less than 10 per cent of target seats and just a handful of safe seats have women candidates.