THE Conservative Party faces a race against time to find a candidate to contest Tony Blair's seat in the next General Election.

With an election expected to be held in May, the Conservative Party is searching for a new hopeful to stand in the Prime Minister's Sedgefield constituency, in County Durham, after former candidate Danny Kruger resigned on Tuesday.

The move followed a remark published in a national newspaper.

Mr Kruger, who works at the Conservative headquarters in policy development, was quoted in The Guardian as saying the party planned a "period of creative destruction in the public services".

A Conservative spokesperson said the comment was taken out of context, but that the decision to step down was "to avoid any further misrepresentation of his views and any damage to the party".

The 30-year-old son of chef Pru Leith had spent months canvassing in the Prime Minister's constituency and had won the widespread support of the pro-hunt lobby.

Party bosses in London are drawing up a shortlist of potential candidates to forward to local members to select a replacement.

The spokesperson said: "The constituency party will choose who will be the next candidate. This has to be prompt, with just weeks to the next election."

Labour bosses said Mr Kruger's comments exposed the Tories' "real agenda for the public services" and that the £35bn savings they had promised to make if elected would actually mean huge cuts.

Darlington MP Alan Milburn, Labour's General Election co-ordinator, said: "He is a man who has worked at the heart of Conservative policy development. He knows their real agenda, he has been crucial in shaping their plans for government. It is the authentic and shocking voice of the Conservative Party. It reveals the true period of what they would do."