Last week Guido told how the Tories were moving to centralise the candidate selection process and break the 150 year-old constituency association link. The story was followed up in the weekend papers and caused considerable consternation among members. CCHQ has responded by assuring members their new complaints are being heard and delaying any vote on proposed changes to the party constitution. Rob Semple, chairman of the National Conservative Convention, has written to members:

“I am also very grateful to all those who have fed in further thoughts since the meeting. We have reflected those comments, along with the decisions made in November, in our latest proposals to the Party’s Constitutional Committee. I am aiming for the revised draft proposals to be completed and available for your consideration by the Spring. There will then be a meeting of the National Convention during May, in London, to discuss the proposals. I would like to stress, the meeting is to discuss the revised proposals and is not a vote of the Party’s Electoral College.”

That should reassure members somewhat…

UPDATE: David Campbell Bannerman comments:

“We are delighted to hear the party has dropped plans to push through a range of undemocratic and centralising proposals this March and is now to fully consult in May. This is excellent news for grassroots members of the Conservative Party against CCHQ plans to seize power from them. It looks like the ill-thought out proposals have been kicked into the long grass. We urge the Party to abandon them completely.”