A key Downing Street figure is set to fight Croydon Central in the next General Election, although it’s not previous MP Gavin Barwell. The local party last night selected Mario Creatura, the PM’s digital SpAd (he does the PM’s tweets) who was brought in to revitalise Downing Street’s social media operation, to try to win his boss’s former seat back. Creatura is one of Barwell’s Croydon cronies of yore and his former Parliamentary aide. Number 10 are evidently keen on keeping the constituency in the family. Will any mischievous Downing Street staffers be getting Creatura a copy of his boss’s book for Secret Santa?

When Theresa May entered Number 10 she vowed to do away with Dave’s chumocracy and make sure her Downing Street wasn’t stuffed full of a load of old mates. Guido has previously revealed how 85% of Number 10 SpAds are blokes. Another theme has been identified on Whitehall: Gavin Barwell’s Croydon cronies. As May’s chief of staff, failed Croydon MP Barwell has hired three pals from his old patch to work in Downing Street. Mario Creatura, the PM’s digital SpAd, used to be Barwell’s bag-carrier in parliament and is also a Tory councillor in Croydon. Jason Cummings was a parliamentary assistant to Barwell for two years and is also a Croydon Tory councillor – now he’s a political adviser to the PM. Nero Ughwujabo, who works in the Number 10 policy unit, ran the Croydon BME Forum for 15 years before also benefiting from Barwell’s patronage. The women problem and chumocracy live on in Downing Street, it’s just that this time the inner circle are Old Croydonians rather than Old Etonians…

Guido can also reveal a few new SpAd moves. Peter Cardwell is moving to the Home Office to look after the women and equalities brief. Sophie Dean is now working for Esther McVey at DWP. Karen Bradley’s Northern Ireland team has been bolstered with the hires of her former DCMS SpAd Romilly Dennys and ex-Tory NI minister Kris Hopkins. Let us know any updates here…