Steven Norris is awaiting the final verdict on whether he will be allowed to stand in the contest to become the Tory London mayor candidate.

The party's mayoral executive baulked at reversing its surprise decision to bar the former transport minister from the selection contest when it met on Monday night.

Instead it referred the matter to the Tories' mayoral board, chaired by party chairman Michael Ancram.

Speaking on Tuesday morning, Mr Ancram refused to pre-empt the formal decision.

But he promised to listen to all the arguments and take a "cold and clear look at this".

"There are two views which have been expressed as to whether Steve Norris will go before the hustings tomorrow night and I will consider those views," the chairman said.

The board must deliver a verdict on Tuesday, so a hustings meeting for Tory hopefuls can go ahead the next day.

Mr Norris is hoping the board's deliberations will make his yo-yoing selection campaign a success at the third time of asking.

Beaten to the nomination by Lord Archer, he joined a new contest after the peer's resignation as candidate but was controversially dumped last weekend after local party officials complained about his well-documented extra-marital affairs.

A groundswell of support has emerged since the 12-strong mayoral executive threw him out of the contest at the weekend.

Mr Norris's campaign now looks likely to proceed as both Mr Ancram and party leader William Hague are thought to be keen to have the former MP back in the race.

An ICM poll published on Tuesday suggests the saga may have hurt the Tories' standing with voters. The Labour lead over the Conservatives increased from 10 to 19 points in the past month.

Mr Norris received better news on Monday night, when the party's electoral college asked the executive to reconsider its decision.

He said: "I'm very pleased at the outcome, although subsequent proceedings are a matter for the board. I'm not presuming any outcome until they have met.

"I make no secret of the fact that I always felt it was wrong for a dozen people to deny the 40,000 members of the party in London the opportunity to decide whether or not they wanted the only candidate who could beat [Frank] Dobson and [Ken) Livingstone.

"If tonight's move reverses that, then it is a good thing for the Tory Party because political parties have to be about winning elections.

"The worst the Conservative Party could do is to look like the Labour Party in the 1980s, more interested in fighting each other than in winning."

Mr Norris's second exit from the contest was sparked by a letter from four senior local party officials from his former Epping Forest constituency.

The letter writers claimed they had planned to deselect him as their MP over his colourful private life.