So reports Jason Groves of The Daily Mail:
"Members of South West Norfolk Conservative Association were given an unprecedented ultimatum that if they dumped her at a meeting on Monday, a new shortlist of of centrallyapproved candidates would be imposed on them. They were even threatened with being made guinea-pigs for the Tories' first ever all-women shortlist, party sources said."
As it happens, Ms Truss' victory on Monday night was emphatic and so the threats weren't necessary.
I am suspicious of The Mail story. I believe David Cameron's public promise that there will be no automatic, by-design All Women Shortlists. If the threats were made I would suspect they were made by junior officials.
Tim Montgomerie
