Seb Payne has been added to the shortlist for Surrey Heath, the seat recently vacated by Michael Gove. The seat used to be safe – now it’s a marginal. It’s been a long journey from Seb’s leaving the FT this point…
Tory associations are in a febrile mood, often kicking up a fuss over the imposition of centrally-favoured candidates over longtime local activists. Payne is up against Ed McGuinness, President of Conservatives in the City and candidate in 2019 for Hornsey & Wood Green, and campaigner Anna Robinson. The battle to be the next Gove is on – the selection set for tomorrow night…
UPDATE: A member of Surrey Heath Conservatives gets in touch:
“Payne has already had Rishi and co. attempt to parachute him into Bromsgrove, and now he’s appearing in Surrey Heath. I don’t think it’s possible to get a more Michael Gove-like candidate.
We were promised a shortlist of 3 on Friday and we didn’t get it until Monday, with just 24 hours before the vote. In fact, the shortlist was leaked by the local Lib Dems before members here were even informed. That tells you everything you need to know really – today’s leadership of the Conservative Party has more in common with the Lib Dems than us grassroots activists.
For a Party that believes in freedom, it’s not putting any faith in members at all. It’s a socialist stitch up and it all makes me want to vote for Reform.”
Kemi Badenoch defended her decision not to force Tory councils to hold elections in May, telling GB News:
“It is Conservative policy that we should have elections, but I’m not a dictator. You know Nigel Farage, no one else makes any decisions, he’s a one-man band.”