ST ALBANS MP Anne Main will learn her political fate this week, with the mounting feud among St Albans Conservatives attracting the attention of the national media.

St Albans Conservative Association will meet on Thursday evening to debate a motion proposing Mrs Main is de-selected as their parliamentary candidate in next year’s general election.

The Review reported last week how the future of Anne Main has sparked a civil war among St Albans Conservatives, with the party divided in its support for her.

Members have pledged their allegiance either to both Mrs Main or her opposition - chairwoman Seema Kennedy, her two deputies Matthew Peck and Mary Zambra, who called the meeting of the local Tory party's 300 members.

The in-house dispute has this week captured the attention of the national media, with the BBC contacting the Review this morning to learn more about St Albans' scrapping Tories.

Mrs Kennedy, whose position also hangs in the balance with members calling a meeting on the same night to discuss termination of her membership, said she could not predict the outcome of the meeting.

"I don't know what will happen," she said. "I'll present my case and the facts as I see them and I'll wait for people to assess them. I hope they will put the party first and I hope they listen to the thoughts I have to put to them."

Mr Peck, whose position is also at stake, said of the 300 association members only 50 had vowed to support either faction, adding that it was impossible to predict with which camp remaining members would side. He said: "Of the 300 members we only have definite statements from about 40 or 50 who have expressed a preference."

Responding to the Review's question as to whether he thought Anne Main would be de-selected, Mr Peck said: "I genuinely don't know, there's a significant body of people that support me and a significant body of people that don't."

Asked about the atmosphere among the local Tory party since the Review exposed its feuding last week, Mrs Kennedy said: "It's not been easy for anybody - for the whole association.

"People are very upset and people are clearly very commited to the Conservative Party and very passionate which is why feelings have run high.

"But I'm sure at the forefront of everybody's minds is they want to make the right choice for St Albans and the Conservative Party."

Member of the association's exective council, councillor Salih Gaygusuz, said: "I think Anne Main will scrape through it and not let these moles de-select her. Anne Main has been a hard-working lady and I would be very surprised at this stage, so close to the general elections, that they will be able to de-select her.

"We are better fighting with her than changing to someone else. We are wasting our time battling with each other rather than the enemy."

The Review is awaiting a response from St Albans MP Anne Main and the Tory Party national headquarters.

The meeting will be held at the constituency branch in The Saints Pastoral Centre, Shenley Lane, London Colney, at 7.30pm on Thursday, August 13.