With Edward Timpson announcing his intention to stand down ahead of the next election, the somewhat solid Tory seat of Chester South and Eddisbury is now up for grabs. Guido understands neighbouring Crewe and Nantwich MP, Kieran Mullan, has been putting his name forward in local conversations. The justification for such a decision: a single ward has moved to the Eddisbury seat (now Chester South and Eddisbury) in the boundary review.
A quick look at the polls is all you need to see why Kieran really might want to jump ship. Polling aggregator UK Polling Report forecasts Crewe and Nantwich to go red, whilst Eddisbury is sitting on a much less marginal majority.
If Kieran gets his way, it won’t go down well with his local party. He’s already pledged to stand for re-election…
However, he won’t be unopposed. Frozen food nepo baby and eco-loon extraordinaire Richard Walker is also in the running for the seat. He’s seen as a strong candidate with solid links in the area, so will give Mullan a run for his money. However, co-conspirators hoping for a speedy resolution may be out of luck – a solid final three is yet to be signed-off and any decision is unlikely to be finalised before the local elections. Guido approached Mullan for comment. One to watch…
Iceland supermarket boss Richard Walker is still determined to become a Tory MP at the next election – and is vowing to stick around as the company’s chair even if he’s elected to Parliament. Speaking to This is Money over the weekend, Walker, who’s led the £4 billion family firm for over four years, pointed out “plenty of MPs have second jobs.” Clearly not putting all his eggs in one basket…
“I think it is important that people know what the outside world is like – what it is like to pay the wages on a Friday […] I’ll give it my all – but with regards to Iceland, nothing changes. It is important politics has people that aren’t just inside the Westminster bubble.”
Guido’s inclined to agree – learning a thing or two about the real world before entering politics is always a good thing. While Walker’s planning his next gig, however, his would-be colleagues might be thinking about his current second job. He also happens to chair environmental group Surfers Against Sewage, which campaigned with Extinction Rebellion this month to attack Conservative MPs who voted against tougher laws on dumping sewage in the ocean.
Could make for awkward conversations on the green benches…
