EMBATTLED North Wiltshire MP James Gray is facing a fresh bid to kick him out of office.

Earlier this year the MP faced down a challenge by members of the North Wiltshire Conservative Association to deselect him.

Now, nine months on, disgruntled Party members have organised a special meeting on Monday, November 19, to again debate the MP's future.

"This is a small group of people that aren't prepared to accept a democratically made decision," said Mr Gray.

"They are entitled to call a special meeting if they choose to.

"But I am very confident that my supporters, who are vast in number, will turn out on the night and defeat the motion.

"This is about some people making use of Party loopholes to call this meeting."

The MP has been in the spotlight since September last year when it emerged he had been having an affair while his wife was being treated for cancer.

Soon after that story emerged, members of North Wiltshire Conservative Association debated Mr Gray's future and decided not to adopt him as the candidate for the next General Election.

But Mr Gray demanded a postal ballot of members, which he won, securing his position.

In September the MP was embroiled in yet more controversy when an email penned by local Party chairman Roger Miller, which described the MP as "a rather unappealing character", was leaked.

At the forthcoming special meeting, due to be held in Wootton Bassett, members of the Party will be asked to debate whether North Wiltshire Party members should be postal balloted a second time on the MP's future.

"I will be there on the night and will be very happy to go along and answer questions or concerns that people will have," said Mr Gray.

"But the national Party chairman has made it plain she will not allow any more of these kind of meetings - this one on the 19th will be the end of this.

"And after all this is over I'll be making sure that I will be out in the constituency winning the hearts and minds of those people which I have lost."