The selection contest for Fareham and Waterlooville is due to take place on Wednesday, and true to its name, the Battle of Waterlooville is turning into quite the scrap. In the blue corner is Suella Braverman, no doubt familiar to co-conspirators. Suella is currently the MP for Fareham and despite her strong credentials on Brexit, woke issues and immigration is a somewhat polarising figure amongst the membership – though her popularity has improved in recent months. Suella may also not be helped by a perception of a CCHQ stitch-up surrounding the timing of the battle.

In the less blue corner is Flick Drummond. Although team Suella is confident, their opponent is by no means a push-over. Flick is seen as a solid local champion – even recently using her backbench position to take the government to task over a controversial interconnector project. Despite this, Flick is as wet as they come: she sided with Labour on education policy, praised the “laudable aims of the Black Lives Matter campaign” and has previously voiced her pro-trans credentials. Flick supported remain and is Vice Chair of the Pro-EU Conservative European Forum. Going by their credentials on Europe, it’s clear which combatant would be Napoleon.

Guido hears that although Drummond doesn’t have a second choice seat, the party is holding Isle of Wight East as a fall-back if she loses on Wednesday. As the Mirror reports on Suella’s £25,000 accommodation expenses – which they themselves admit is “within the rules” – it’s worth taking a look at Drummond’s housing arrangements. “Local champion”, Flick lives out in Portsmouth…

Mark your calendars: the seat selection showdown between Suella Braverman and Flick Drummond will take place on April 5, Guido is told. The fight for the new Fareham and Waterlooville constituency has caused CCHQ major headaches since the start of the year, with the process originally supposed to have been wrapped up in January. It was paused while the party tried to figure out how to save Suella, who’s by no means guaranteed to beat Flick to the seat. If she loses in Fareham and Waterlooville, her second preference is the new Hamble Valley constituency, where she will face Paul Holmes. Let the Battle of Waterlooville commence…

Guido hears CCHQ is finally restarting the seat selection process for Suella Braverman down on the south coast. Co-conspirators will recall the scramble to save her following boundary changes was causing major headaches over at Matthew Parker Street – with both Suella and Flick Drummond set for a selection battle over the new Fareham and Waterlooville constituency (and Flick Drummond ready to put up a serious fight) the party paused the process back in December to try and untangle the mess. The whole thing was supposed to have been wrapped up a month ago…

Now Guido hears the Battle of Waterlooville is set to begin soon after all. Although no firm date has been set for the nomination, Greg Hands has told the MPs the selections will go ahead shortly, with Fareham and Waterlooville first, and Hamble Valley – Braverman’s second preference, should she lose to Drummond – soon after. An incumbent Home Secretary losing a selection fight would be unprecedented. Assuming she’s still the Home Secretary by then, obviously…

Guido hears the battle to save Suella Braverman ahead of the general election is causing headaches at CCHQ. As first reported in the Mail on Sunday, boundary changes mean Braverman’s Fareham constituency is set to become Fareham and Waterlooville, with Flick Drummond’s Meon Valley seat abolished entirely. A new seat, Hamble Valley, is also up for grabs. Drummond and Braverman are now heading for a selection fight over Fareham and Waterlooville, and it’s not expected to be an easy fight for the Home Secretary. The Battle of Waterlooville begins…

Guido understands CCHQ paused the selection process six weeks ago. It was supposed to be wrapped up this month – yet no new date has been set yet. A CCHQ source insisted “it’s a more complicated boundary change than most”, and not to “read too much into it”. “Complicated” is one way of putting it…

In the meantime, Suella has selected the new Hamble Valley seat as her second preference, if Drummond ends up winning in Fareham and Waterlooville. Guido, however, hears she’s not a shoo-in there either. Could Braverman really end up without a safe seat ahead of the general election?