AN OPENLY gay Tory last night defeated efforts to have him deselected as prospective candidate for the seat once held by Sebastian Coe when Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, told party members it was “completely unacceptable” to vote against him because of his sexuality.

Ashley Crossley, 31, a barrister who lives with his partner in London, won a vote of no confidence after Mr Howard warned members in Cornwall that they were undermining his attempts to promote a more tolerant and inclusive image of the party.

Mr Crossley’s supporters said that they hoped the result would heal an embarrassing rift in Falmouth and Camborne. But it may have left the party irreparably damaged in a constituency that has a Labour majority of only 4,500.

Last month 66 members urged the association to hold a vote of no confidence in Mr Crossley and called for it to “forthwith deselect” him, but it did not say why.

Afterwards, a grinning Mr Crossley declined to comment on the bitter feud and said: “I’m very, very happy.”

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