It’s all “carnage” in Stratford-on-Avon. Guido hears within 24 hours of Nadhim Zahawi announcing he was standing down, at least a dozen people contacted the association. Meanwhile many dozens of candidates who applied to neighbouring Bromsgrove and Solihull are said to be jumping across to Stratford in a bid to secure a rare Tory safe seat. Triangle of madness…
Michael Crick released a list of names on Thursday of some of the people eyeing up the seat, including Conservative Way Forward CEO Ed Barker, former Member of the London Assembly Tony Devenish, and David Cameron’s sister-in-law Emily Sheffield. That explains Sheffield’s recent chumocratic appointment to a CCHQ role…
It seems the list was leaked from a WhatsApp group created by the Stratford deputy chairman to convene interested parties. It has apparently already been shut down. Meanwhile, displaced Tory MP Stuart Andrew – thanks to boundary changes – is now due to speak at an event hosted by Stratford Conservatives on 27th June. Another name circulating in the SW1 rumour mill is the Adam Smith Institute’s James Price, ex-staffer to Zahawi, who is said to be considering throwing his hat in the ring. More competition for Downing Street’s Will Tanner…
The day after Starmer U-turned and refused to blame Trump for the war Rachel Reeves told the Mirror:
“Obviously no sensible person is a supporter of the Iranian regime, but to start a conflict without being clear what the objectives are and not being clear about how you are going to get out of it, I do think that is a folly and it is one that is affecting families here in the UK but also families in the US and around the world.”
