As Banstead’s MP Crispin Blunt celebrates reselection today, a letter has emerged indicating that him coming out as gay was the “final straw” for some senior local Tories.

Reigate and Banstead Conservative Association members voted by a margin of five to one to keep Mr Blunt as their parliamentary candidate after a majority of their executive council did not back him in September.

A letter sent by Roger Newstead, a member of the local Conservative executive, to Mr Blunt’s supporter Dr Ben Mearns, said his sexuality was not mentioned at the September meeting just before a secret ballot.

In the letter, dated October 1, Mr Newstead said: “I do not know what motivated my executive colleagues but I suspect that Crispin has been the author of his own misfortune.

“There is no doubt in my mind that his very public and totally unnecessary announcement that he was "gay" was the final straw for some members, particularly those in the north of the borough, with whom there had been a number of previous disagreements on policy matters.

“A number of lady members were very offended by the manner in which his marriage broke up. Apparently Victoria's version was very different from Crispin's.”

In 2010 the former prisons minister came out as gay and separated from his wife after nearly 20 years of marriage and bringing up two children.

In response to the letter, Mr Blunt said: “It is part of evidence that with some members of the executive council my sexuality was an issue for them.”

But he said the overwhelming vote in his favour announced today showed that the rest of the party did not share their views, which were not relevant in the 21st century.

He said: “There’s a small number of people who have not been able to move with the times and arrive at the same understanding as the rest of society.”

He said there had been huge strides to advance equality, adding: “That change has been part of the reason why I have been able to publicly come to terms with it.

“Obviously they have not got there yet. However, it is a very small minority.”

In his letter Mr Newstead, who is chairman of the Reigate South and Earlswood Conservative branch, said that when Crispin held ministerial office and harboured ambitions, many felt he did not pay enough attention to local issues and he was “notorious” for not attending functions.

He said: “Since his return to the backbenches Crispin has been a diligent local member but I'm afraid long memories told against him.

“It is difficult to see where we go from here, since even if the executive's decision is overturned by the members, the essential bond of respect and trust between an MP and his constituency officers appears to have been irreparably broken.”

After the announcement of the ballot today, questions have been raised over the positions of the executive council members who did not automatically reselect Mr Blunt to stand in the 2015 election.

Mr Blunt said: “I’m delighted and I’m particularly delighted with the very emphatic vote of the Reigate members in controversial circumstances.

“They have, by a substantial majority, overturned the judgement of the executive council.”

He said that the some members of the executive council were clearly at variance with the membership which they purported to represent. He said: “They should consider their positions.”

After the ballot result, his supporter Andy Mountney, former chairman of Reigate and Banstead Conservative Association, said: “This is an endorsement of what the members of the party feel and an endorsement for Reigate.

“It’s great news for the members of the association and residents of Reigate who have spoken on his behalf.”

Mr Mountney said that executive council members now needed to come forward and explain why they made the decision not to reselect him on behalf of other members.

He said: “They were clearly out. I don’t see how they can continue to represent members in this case. Hopefully they will have the gumption to explain how they came to this decision.

Major-General Michael Steele, who was part of Mr Blunt’s campaign team, said: “It is very splendid news for Crispin. The association has shown good and reasonable sense in voting him back in.”

Maj-Gen Steele said they have to see if the executive council will now be prepared to back Mr Blunt.

He said: “There’s absolutely no doubt about it. The executive council completely misjudged the point and misjudged the attitude and mood of the association who they are there to represent.

“Clearly the executive council made a tremendous blunder and that will have to be resolved.”

The Epsom Guardian has so far been unable to reach Mr Newstead regarding the letter.