SOUTH West Surrey Tories have dismissed claims that the selection process to elect a new prospective parliamentary candidate will have to begin all over again.
The search for a new candidate began following the announcement last summer by MP Virginia Bottomley that she would be standing down at the next general election.
Suggestions have now been made that somebody has been kicked off the selection panel for asking candidates awkward questions on the Euro and single currency.
A man claiming to be a Liberal Democrat phoned The Herald and said that, during recent interviews with prospective candidates, questions on Europe had caused friction and the process had been put on hold, possibly to be started again from scratch.
South West Surrey Conservative agent Christine Merry-Price said: "The selection is proceeding within the rules of the party and is due to be completed by the end of the month, at which point we will have selected a parliamentary candidate.
"Any rumours that somebody has been taken off the selection committee are for the internal party and not for public examination."
Local party chairman Warren Lister stated that "somebody has left the committee and that is all I am prepared to say".
Candidates, he said, were asked set questions by the selection committee.
Questions such as those on Europe and the Euro were kept until the final stages of the selection process and it was unlikely they would select anybody who didn't take "the party view".
Mr Lister said that more than 100 people had put their name forward for selection. The selection committee, he explained, was specifically set up to whittle them down to a sensible 24 to 30 candidates, by closed interview.
"The selection committee is fine and working as it is supposed to. It is my prerogative to set up the committee and if I decide to make changes, then so be it," he added.
The successful candidate is due to be announced on November 27, he said.