Thirty-one-year-old London-based Matthew Hancock made the comments on Saturday to rapturous applause from constituents, when he defeated five other candidates during an open primary to decide who will replace sitting MP Richard Spring who plans to stand down at the next election.

"I think that Newmarket is a jewel," he said. "It is very rare to have the world-centre of an industry in your constituency and Newmarket is the world centre of racing.

"I have been speaking to the Save Historic Newmarket Action Group and some of the people involved in its campaign and I think that putting these homes there would change the town forever.

This development is totally inappropriate. People should have the choice about where this housing goes and it is a matter of getting it the right place."

Mr Hancock, an Oxford graduate and economic adviser to Tory leader David Cameron and chief of staff to Shadow Chancellor George Osborne won the West Suffolk nomination on the fourth round of voting, defeating London lawyer Natalie Elphicke by 88 votes to 81 in the final ballot.

He will now step down from his full-time Westminster role to concentrate on campaigning in the constituency.

After the election, Cheshire-born Mr Hancock, who is married with two children, said he was honoured to have been selected to fight the West Suffolk constituency which also includes Mildenhall, Brandon and Haverhill.

"I know that as someone who wasn't born here I need to do a lot of work to become a valued part of the community.

"We are going to have a home in the constituency so that I can represent the interests in this area and make sure that I put West Suffolk first." he said.