There are better things to do with my life than to scrap with the shrill, deeply unpleasant faction inside and outside Westminster

Charles Wardle

He said in a letter to a member of his Bexhill and Battle Conservative Association: "The Telegraph and Alistair [Birrell, former constituency chairman] were inaccurate in their suggestion that official moves are afoot to have me deselected."

Instead, in his resignation letter, he blamed the pressures of "drab" and "unpleasant" Westminster life.

"There are better things to do with my life than to scrap with the shrill, deeply unpleasant faction inside and outside Westminster who are in danger of dislocating the party from the wider electorate."

He went on: "Life has become very drab in the House of Commons and this awful Labour Government treats parliament with contempt.

You are a man of too much integrity and decency to waste your time with the low life and half men in Westminster

Mohamed al-Fayed

"In contrast to this, the business challenge at Harrods is interesting and stimulating."

Mr Wardle's appointment to Harrods surprised commentators because he was the Conservative Home Office minister who rejected Mr al-Fayed's application for a British passport.

But it appears that Mr al-Fayed is prepared to forgive Mr Wardle.

A letter from Mr al-Fayed to the MP on 7 April stated: "You are a man of too much integrity and decency to waste your time with the low life and half men in Westminster."

A spokesman for The Daily Telegraph said: "We received a letter from Mr Wardle's lawyers on Friday night and we will be answering it in due course."

The former Tory MP, Neil Hamilton, failed in his bid to sue Mr al-Fayed for libel last year after the Harrods owner said he had paid Mr Hamilton to ask questions in parliament.