Having the Prime Minister on hand to sweet talk the local party wasn’t enough to keep Number 10 chief of staff Oliver Dowden on the shortlist for the safe Tory seat of Croydon South. Two more Dave advisers also missed the cut – Laura Trott and Shaun Bailey, as did former deputy London mayor Kit Malthouse. The final four to fight it out will be Charlotte Vere, Suella Fernandes, Chris Philp and Lucy Frazer. Which wasn’t quite the plan…
