Tories are promising to scupper plans to give political "turncoat" Shaun Woodward a safe Labour seat in the next General Election, writes Madeleine Pennell.

Angered by the Witney MP's defection to Labour last December, Conservatives have vowed to rally party members to campaign against him.

Labour Party bosses believe the MP has little chance of keeping his Oxfordshire seat at the next election and they have been searching for a safe seat elsewhere.

Reports today suggested that Labour was lining him up for the West Bromwich East seat in the Midlands. His former Tory colleagues vowed to travel to his intended new constituency to try to ensure his defeat at the ballot box.

The present MP, Peter Snape, 58, is expected to be offered a seat in the House of Lords.

Mr Woodward, who lives with his wife and three children at Sarsden House, near Chipping Norton, quit the Conservative Party over his opposition to the reform of Section 28, which bans local authorities from "promoting" homosexuality. Cllr Keith Mitchell, Tory leader on Oxfordshire County Council, said: "He is not our favourite person as you can imagine. I think some of us will travel up to West Bromwich East to help out during the next election campaign."

David Robertson, chairman of Witney Conservative Association, added: "I think it is fairly obvious that Shaun Woodward would not be successful in Witney.

"We would encourage people to campaign to ensure that Shaun Woodward is not elected as MP for West Bromwich East. "Our main priority is to make sure that our candidate David Cameron is elected as the Conservative MP for Witney."

Mr Cameron, 33, who was selected in April, branded the Labour move "a disgrace".

He said: "Woodward should have fought a by-election instead of insisting that he was voted for in a personal capacity.

"If he was, why isn't he staying? For the coming months Witney will be left without a proper MP, which is a disgrace."

Mr Cameron accused Mr Woodward of deserting constituents. Mr Woodward was not available for comment.

But a spokesman for the Labour Party said: "The selection of candidates is a matter for the constituency con- cerned."

He said a Labour MP could not seek selection in another constituency but this ruling did not apply to Mr Woodward because Witney was not a Labour seat at the last election.

In February, more than half the voters in a 1,000-people Mori opinion poll said Mr Woodward should resign his seat, while only a third urged him to stay on. Mr Snape said today he intended to fight to keep his Commons seat.