Tim Yeo is taking his fight to save his political career to all his party members by giving them a binding postal vote.

The South Suffolk MP, who was de-selected by his party executive last month, has said 600 members of the South Suffolk Conservatives will be given a vote in the new year to say if they want him to stand as their candidate in the general election in 2015.

In a statement Mr Yeo said he had consulted widely among local Conservatives in the last few days.

“Many of them have expressed support for me and want to vote on whether I should be their candidate at the next election,” he said.

“I believe they should now have that chance.”

Under the rules of the Conservative Party a postal ballot, the outcome of which is binding, can be held for this purpose. Arrangements for this ballot are now being made and voting papers will be sent to Party members on January 20.

Mr Yeo added: “I am delighted that more than six hundred Party members are eligible to vote in this ballot. Whatever their decision is I will continue to work hard to secure a Conservative victory in South Suffolk as I have done ever since I was first chosen as the candidate for this constituency.”