After Guido previously reported that Kieran Mullan, the MP for Crewe, was mulling a chicken run to the new Chester South and Eddisbury seat, local news media revealed discontent amongst Crewe Conservatives, quoting one senior local figure. Guido hasn’t been able to corroborate wider discontent in Crewe, another senior Tory insisted nobody locally has a bad word to say about Kieran. This isn’t so true of neighbouring Eddisbury…

Kieran spent the day yesterday trying to drum up support amongst Cheshire councillors – and it hasn’t gone down too well. As a sitting MP affected by boundary changes, Kieran can have first dibs on any seat which was formerly part of his existing seat – it’s up to the local selection committee to decide whether to adopt him as their candidate. With Edward Timpson standing down in Eddisbury, the parts of Crewe and Nantwich subsumed in the boundary review could justify giving him a run at selection. A reminder – just one ward from Kieran’s old seat has moved to the new one.

Although Eddisbury is somewhat receptive to Kieran’s candidacy – one source reminded Guido that Eddisbury has a chequered history with big name wets, as potential candidate Richard Walker might be – local Tories don’t like the way his chicken run is being handled. In line with Greg Hands’ expressed strategy, there is a perception that CCHQ is delaying the timetable and foisting Mullan on the seat. If Mullan can build support locally in time for a selection decision, it would avoid wider competition. To quote a senior Conservative councillor, “Eddisbury wants choice”.