Who could replace Anne McIntosh?

No one has yet declared they would actively seek the nomination should the local party choose not to re-select Anne McIntosh – but the association knows it would not be short of candidates.

One party figure hopes for a high-profile candidate, such as the Mayor of London. Boris Johnson, tipped as a future Tory leader, is widely expected to return to Parliament when his current term as Mayor comes to a close in 2016.

Speculation abounds that he may even seek a safe seat next year – though publicly he insists he will serve a full term as Mayor.

Somewhat less probable are local calls for the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, to stand as a Tory. Mr Farage is an avowed opponent of David Cameron and says he would not even form a coalition with the Tories under the current leadership – let alone join the party. Nonetheless, he would be a popular choice with local activists.

The current favourite, however, must be Ryedale councillor Edward Legard, wanted by many local Tories as their candidate last time. He is on the Tories’ national list of candidates, but has yet to announce where he will stand.

Earlier this month he was forced to deny his involvement in a letter-writing campaign to local papers against Miss McIntosh, after his name appeared on an email attachment. He claimed this was because a draft of the email was passed on by his son, on a laptop registered to his name.

“I haven’t even declared my hand, let alone publicly stated my views, which the letter did not accurately represent,” he said.

• Today the Yorkshire Post publishes in full for the first time the internal Conservative Party report into Thirsk & Malton Conservative Association, and its attempts to oust sitting MP Anne McIntosh. Read the full report here