Crispin Blunt: Is It Because He Is Gay?

Crispin Blunt, the Tory MP and former prisons minister, has survived an attempt by worthies in his local party to get rid of him. His opponents in his wealthy Surrey constituency were able to force a ballot which, if it had gone against Mr Blunt, would have prevented him from running again as a Conservative candidate in 2015, but he won. That is not entirely surprising, when he has had public support from David Cameron and most top Tories in the Cabinet.

The executive of the Reigate and Banstead constituency association refused to endorse Blunt as their parliamentary candidate, after he had announced that he is gay. Whether that was cause and effect is fiercely disputed.

Rita Renton, who chairs the Reigate constituency association, has said that it is “absolute rubbish” to suggest that Blunt’s troubles stemmed from his sexuality.

Priscilla Rhodes, another very outspoken local party member, told the Surrey Mirror: “He has got to know the truth – it is nothing to do with him being gay, nothing to do with him being a bad MP in London. Most of the people voted against him because, locally, he doesn’t do what he should.”

The Independent.

Ms Rhodes said the above on resigning, incidentally.
"I've never been so insulted..." etc etc.

ConservativeHome came to much the same conclusion as McSmith, but still declared Blunt's reselection "A trumphant vote for tolerance."
According to The Telegraph; "A letter has now emerged that was sent by Roger Newstead, a member of the local Conservative executive, which says that Mr Blunt's decision to announce that he was gay "was the final straw" for some Tories in the constituency."
Fagburn thinks you should be sceptical when someone cries "HOMOPHOBIA!" - it ain't necessarily so - but that does appear to be a key factor here.
Though I like the idea that some local Tory "ladies" thought Blunt getting divorced was bad enough in itself.
For some amusing background on this revealing little episode from David Cameron's gay marriage-lovin' thoroughly modern Conservative Party have a look here.

Though perhaps this Mail Online reader knows THE TRUTH!!! 

"No not true...this guy is hated by everyone and they voted to get him out because he does nothing but it was going to look bad and stonewall was going to go anti homosexual in the media on the Tory party so a string from above was pulled to keep him in to continue wasting tax payers money......the story is in much more detail elsewhere on the Internet"

PS Crispin Blunt writes for Pink News; "Gay acceptance is now establishment..." Yeah, right.