GAY Tory candidate Ashley Crossley is keeping his fingers crossed that a meeting tonight called by members who want to sack him will be postponed.

The 31-year-old barrister, chosen to fight the Falmouth and Camborne constituency for the Conservatives at the next general election, will tell members at the meeting in the Falmouth Hotel that they are "jumping the gun." Mr Crossley, who has faced a barrage of publicity locally and nationally over the past two months, claims tonight's meeting should not go ahead until after a hearing in London on September 14 when eight senior party officials will appeal against a decision to suspend them for allegedly showing anti-European videos at local Conservative party meetings.

Letters went out to the 600-plus members of the Falmouth and Camborne Conservative Association last week informing members of the special general meeting, called following a petition by 66 members.

Mr Crossley told the Packet: "It is wrong for the suspended officers to call for my de-selection at a special general meeting when they already have the chance to make their case at their appeal. They will have a full hearing with lawyers to account for their actions and yet they have sought to undermine the hearing by trying to de-select me beforehand."

Mr Crossley is hoping that declarations of support from Conservative leader Michael Howard and party chairman, Dr Liam Fox, will help him win the day.

If all eight suspended members, who have supported a petition for Mr Crossley's de-selection, are exonerated at the appeal hearing, Mr Crossley will be left with little choice but to resign. If the eight are censured or thrown out of the Conservative party Mr Crossley wants the chance to carry on the fight and attempt to take back the constituency from the Labour party.

The "gang of eight" deny that Mr Crossley's sexuality and the openly gay relationship he has been involved in for the past seven years concerns them.

They insist differences between them and Mr Crossley arose because of the character of the man and not his sexuality.