A CONSERVATIVE Shadow Minister faces being deselected after apparently falling out with her constituency party.

Anne McIntosh, who has served as MP for the Vale of York since 1997, is due to face discussions over her future at a meeting of Thirsk and Malton Conservative Association on September 2.

The Northern Echo understands that Miss McIntosh, the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, could be deselected.

Sources say relationships between Miss McIntosh and senior members of the local Tory party have broken down, although reasons for the fallout are unknown.

The 54-year-old had been expected to stand for the new Thirsk and Malton seat, formed after changes to electoral boundaries, at the next General Election.

Miss McIntosh yesterday told The Northern Echo that she would investigate the rumours before commenting further.

Gillian Gill, the Conservative party’s agent for the Thirsk and Malton constituency, would only confirm that a meeting would take place. She said: “There is going to be a meeting in Malton the week after next.

“We are going to discuss the way forward and how we can move on as an association.”

She added that Miss McIntosh would be invited to the meeting.

Like many MPs, Miss McIntosh faced scrutiny during the expenses scandal earlier this year. She was forced to defend claims of £5,000 for gardening, including hedge trimming, lawnmowing and border work, at her constituency home.

The Daily Telegraph revealed in June that Miss McIntosh claimed for mouse poison and mouse traps.

Miss McIntosh said she was one of the “lowest claimers”

in Parliament. At the time, she said: “All I claim for is purely to perform as an MP and as a parliamentarian. The circumstances have changed now for what you can claim.”

She was MEP for North Essex and South Suffolk before she was selected to fight the Vale of York seat.

She attended Harrogate College, before she studied law in Edinburgh and trained for the Scottish Bar.