SOUTH West Surrey's new Tory parliamentary candidate, Jeremy Hunt, has thrown down the political gauntlet and says he is "confident" of gaining the seat at the next election.

Mr Hunt, 36, a London-based education guide publisher, was selected from a shortlist of four in a secret party ballot held at Haslemere Hall last week.

More than 100 candidates put their name forward for the position currently held by Virginia Bottomley, who is standing down at the next election.

Controversy had initially surrounded the election process. A member of the selection committee had allegedly been removed for asking candidates awkward questions about the single currency.

Mr Hunt dismissed this as "scurrilous tittle tattle", and said the election had been run entirely satisfactorily. He did not believe it had been in any jeopardy.

Originally from Shere, near Guildford, Mr Hunt went to Charterhouse and he intends to campaign strongly on issues affecting the local community.

Anticipating a "very close fight" between Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, Mr Hunt believed the Tories would expose their closest rivals as "frauds".

Believing Mrs Bottomley would be a hard act to follow in the light of her dedication, he was optimistic that the electorate would realise his party was "best placed to deliver" for people in the region.

"I am absolutely delighted to be elected as candidate, and it is a real privilege to represent the area you have grown up in. This means a lot to me as you can campaign more effectively if you know an area and are more in touch with it.

"I have friends in Haslemere and Farnham, where I also have relatives, so this is something that I can really put my heart into."

While admitting to having no formal training, he has a long-standing interest in politics and will be taking a businesslike approach to delivering the party's aims.

In his opinion, less rhetoric and more action is required. And he wants to promote demonstrable physical improvements for those living within the constituency. Despite its affluence, he recognised that the area has a number of pressing social problems.

"Local issues are becoming incredibly important. There are pressing problems within the county, including the health service, problems within the police and our education system. Schools are stretched with their budgets. I want to be seen to be campaigning on these issues."

He was also concerned by an apparent re-allocation of government funding from the South East to areas in the North, an issue which he vowed to fight.

Questioned about the surprising fact that there were no women shortlisted for the post, he replied that the constituency's position had been to seek the best person, irrespective of gender.

However, he added, women were entering politics within the party and this was highlighted by the recent election of a female Conservative candidate for Putney.

Unfazed by the fact that the Lib Dems narrowly missed out on the South West Surrey seat by 800 votes at the last election, MS Hunt claimed the Liberal Democrats did not stand for local issues.

"The thing about the Liberal Democrats is that they campaign for local issues, but whenever Waverley Borough Council wants to make changes, they oppose them for political reasons.

"They have managed successfully to block the sale of housing to housing associations, and have attempted to block Farnham's East Street scheme, which would be a positive development."

Regarding the party's national fortunes, he backed under-fire leader Iain Duncan Smith as being a strong character who has had a positive impact on the party.

"He has made some improvements and taken the party in the right direction, but he would be the first to admit there is a long way to go. I think he will surprise a lot of people," he said.

Though cautious about the prickly euro issue, he revealed he was not in favour of it but wished to remain focused primarily on more local matters

Of his own immediate future, Mr Hunt said he would be spending the coming months further getting to grips with local concerns before supporting Conservative colleagues in May's borough elections.

Currently living in London, Mr Hunt is planning to relocate to Surrey shortly.

Virginia Bottomley praised the party's new candidate, believing he was a "superb choice," and that he would inspire and encourage the community to become actively involved in politics.

She said: "We could not hope for a anyone better than a local man, prepared to fight local issues. It is time to pass on to the next generation.

"Jeremy has excellent constituency knowledge and his many talents will prove invaluable in winning the next general election."