Sarah Wollaston selected to fight Totnes for Tories after open ballot

About 16,639 took part, meaning the selection known as an “open primary” recorded an impressive turnout of 24.6 per cent, higher than some council elections. Some key Tory marginal seats in recent months have been selected at meetings with 40 people, while the response rate for direct postal marketing is usually around 0.5 to 1 per cent.

Dr Wallaston, who has been a member of the Tory party for only three years, was the winner with 7,914 votes. Sara Randall Johnson, chair of East Devon District Council, came second with 5,495 and Mr Bye received 3,088.

Roger Freeman, a member of the local Tory association, said that Dr Wallaston won because of her “bedside manner” which put her in front at a public meeting hosted by Times columnist Matthew Parris ten days ago.

Mr Bye said that his rival was the rightful victor, but added that Mr Parris’s account of the meeting in The Spectator, which portrayed her in a glowing light, may also have been a factor.

The three contenders were given just 20 days to campaign between selection and close of voting, and were restricted to a budget of £200. While Ms Randall Johnson spent £200 on a website and Mr Bye spent £150 on leaflets, Dr Wollaston spent nothing.

HT: Timesonline

UPDATE: The £200 website is at www.srjonline.com Can't do the leaflet, but a Google refers to Mr Bye as "much reviled" in one entry, can't say, don't live in Totnes, never met him.