DAILY Telegraph columnist Paul Goodman has been chosen by Wycombe Tories to replace retiring MP Sir Ray Whitney at the next general election.

More than 100 members voted for Mr Goodman at a meeting on Friday night held behind closed doors at Wycombe Town Hall.

Afterwards, Mr Goodman told the Free Press that he was surprised by the result despite having been tipped as the hot favourite.

He also said that after the election he hoped to move from his present home in south-west London to live in the area permanently, but added: 'It may be that it will happen before then.'

He said he did not want to make specific comments about the area until he 'got to grips with local issues'.

However, he did say that development in High Wycombe appeared to be taking place faster than the resources

which

can

aid

it.

He added: 'One of my main aims when I am elected for the constituency will be to make sure the community and the growth in development are properly supported.

'All I can say is that I would not have come here if I did not want to represent the area with everything I have. This is an extraordinarily diverse constituency that seems to have a bit of everything in it.'

Mr Goodman, 40, has opposed the Labour Government on asylum seekers, Section 28, and the countryside as well as on Europe - he strongly favours keeping the pound.

His view is at odds with retiring MP Sir Ray Whitney's well-known belief that Britain should join the single currency soon.

However the two believe they will be able to work well together before the election, Mr Goodman saying: 'I am sure Sir Ray and I will be able to unite over policies in place over Europe.'

Wycombe constituency Conservatives had 192 applications for the position of prospective candidate. Twenty were called to interview which resulted in a final short-list of five.

Apart from Mr Goodman, they included Wycombe district councillor David Evans (Lane End, Piddington), Martin Howe, a QC specialising in European Law and Angela Harvey, who works for a Conservative think-tank.

Sir Ray said after the meeting: 'I am very pleased with the outcome of the selection process and with the four extremely high quality candidates.'

During Mr Goodman's time at York University, which he left in 1981 with a BA in English, his early political career took off and he became chairman of York University Conservative Association. He went on to become the National Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students.

After leaving university he became a novice monk at Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight and then worked as home affairs editor at the Catholic Herald before becoming a leader writer on the Daily Telegraph.

He moved on to reporting on the Sunday Telegraph and then back to its daily sister paper where he is now comment editor in charge of a team of ten writers.