Shipley MP Philip Davies has launched a strong attack on the A-list in this morning's Yorkshire Post. He compared the way the list works to "gerrymandering".
The Yorkshire Post's Simon McGee also reveals another twist to the already controversial fast-tracking of Rehman Chishti on to the A-list:
"Rehman Chishti, who fought the 2005 election as Labour's candidate against Tory party chairman Francis Maude, moved over to the Conservatives amid a fanfare of publicity last March and in the same month attended a Parliamentary Assessment Board. Party sources said a panel, including Mr Cameron's parliamentary private secretary, Desmond Swayne, failed him. Under rules which have applied to countless long-standing Tory hopefuls, Mr Chishti should have been made to wait at least 12 months before being allowed a resit – but one was organised for him just weeks later. He passed the second assessment and his name was placed on the list over the summer. The revelation was met with alarm last night. One angry A-list candidate, who asked not to be named, said: "Things like that completely undermine the A-list and turn it into even more of a joke than it's already perceived. "How can it have any credibility when they bend the rules like that?" Mr Davies said: "I don't see why people who have worked for the Conservative Party for years should be pushed to one side to make way for somebody who has been working against the party for years. Everybody should be treated equally."
Related link: B-listers miss opportunity to collar Cameron
