David Cameron is set to announce a radical plan to increase the number of female Tory MPs.

Announcing a short-term freeze on candidate selection on Monday, Cameron is set to create an 'A-list' of candidates, where women will feature strongly.

Half of the A-list candidates will be female and Cameron wants ethnic minority candidates to feature among its number.

Local Tory associations are being warned that they must select from the list unless they can prove there are 'exceptional circumstances'.

Commenting on the policy, deputy chairman Bernard Jenkin said: "The election of David Cameron as Conservative leader has demonstrated that there is a huge desire for change at all levels in the party.

"Members want to make sure that we have the best possible candidates at the next election and that the party is representative of Britain today."

Review

Cameron will review the policy after three months in order to assess whether it is meeting its aim of ensuring more female and black and Asian candidates are being selected for winnable seats.

Whilst he will not support all-women shortlists, Cameron has said he will do everything within his power to increase the number of female Conservative MPs.

The move has won the backing of Theresa May, who is leading a new campaign to boost the number of female Conservative MPs.

Boost

She said the new approach should lead to a "significant number" of new Tory women being elected to parliament.

"Associations will be expected to select from that A-list and I can't see any association saying `well, actually we don't want the brightest and the best', because that's what it will be," she said on Sunday.

"So they will get a choice, but it will be balanced between men and women. And the numbers will be such that we will be seeing around half of those seats selecting women."