Local Tories in Bromsgrove are rumbling as the re-run of Sajid Javid’s Bromsgrove seat selection is penned in for mid-December. Local councillor Bradley Thomas was selected back in July, beating Onward’s Seb Payne by five votes. After association president Mark Jones made complaints, CCHQ launched an investigation into claims that some who voted weren’t actually eligible to. They finished their report, though it remains unreleased. Now a “confirmation vote” is taking place. Some wonder why the report hasn’t been made public…

Members were invited late yesterday afternoon to the new vote on 14th December. Local Tories are concerned CCHQ is trying to push Seb Payne in by dubious means. Officials involved in the first selection meeting, which formally confirmed Thomas as the candidate, allegedly weren’t even interviewed by CCHQ’s investigators. Guido readers may remember that back in July a ‘refer back motion’ to restart the selection was proposed – though eventually defeated. Safe seats are running out and candidates are meant to all be in place by January…

A member of the association tells Guido:

“It’s unbelievable that CCHQ has a report which it won’t share with anyone locally – including the chairman – after failing to interview any key witnesses, and after firing the first investigator for producing the wrong conclusion.

I don’t know what hold Mark Jones has over CCHQ, but he is the only person who made a series of complaints, and they all seem to have been upheld with no process at all.

I saw him storm out of the meeting, and he had to be blocked by the moderator from asking an unfair question which he targeted only to Bradley. He spent the weeks prior to the meeting campaigning amongst members for Seb Payne and telling everyone that it was what Sajid wanted and that they had to vote for Seb because he could attract good speakers for our fundraising dinners.

This will open the floodgates to SGM processes all over the country now. I’m not sure that’s what was intended here. I think the process works just fine, with local members choosing who they want – not having people parachuted in from London, or using dirty tricks like these to reverse the Party’s democratic processes“.

Murk and mire…

Seb Payne’s political ambitions faced yet another setback over the weekend, as he came second in the race to represent the safe Tory seat of Bromsgrove. Seb, who described himself as a “part-time Michael Gove stunt double”, can take some positives from his defeat in the Battle of Bromsgrove. Insiders say he performed well and came across as credible in a very tightly fought race – with the winner being decided on a “razor-fine” margin. Winner, Bradley Thomas’s local links gave him the edge.

There was some discontent in the association, as reported by Michael Crick, as a ‘refer back motion’ to restart the selection was proposed – though eventually defeated. Over the weekend another Westminster insider did get one step closer to the green benches, as Nick Timothy won selection in Matt Hancock’s West Suffolk seat. Guido’s heart bleeds for Neil Hudson…

The selection process for the seat of Bromsgrove, currently occupied by Sajid Javid, is well underway. As a rare Tory safe seat, even on current polls, the competition has been fierce. One cause for conflict was the fact that a leading front-runner, former MP Paul Uppal, was also the Association Chair responsible for running the contest. Paul gave a strong non-denial when Guido asked about his candidacy last month.

Since then, the process has been delayed (and restarted), a new Association Chair has been selected and a long-list drawn up. Amongst those on the list are Paul Uppal and Neil Shastri-Hurst, whilst Michael Crick reports Birmingham Tory Bobby Alden is also in the running. Though one name in particular will stick out to SW1-based readers: Seb Payne has made the cut following his payneful night in Selby. Onward and upward…

Guido hears Sebastian Payne failed to make the cut for the final shortlist for the Tory candidacy up in Selby and Ainsty. The interviews were held last night and Seb was eliminated before the last three. Given it’s a heavily pro-Brexit seat up in the red wall, it was probably an uphill battle for Payne anyway. The final shortlist is Andrew Lee, Michael Naughton and Zak Khan. Onwards for Seb…

Seb Payne has confirmed what most of SW1 suspected: he’s applied to stand as a Tory candidate at the next election. Having handed back his Lobby pass at the end of last year to join Onward, Payne has now been shortlisted for Selby and Ainsty up near Leeds. The seat currently held by Nigel Adams, who’s standing down…

When Payne first joined wonk world, his evasive answers to Iain Dale over his long-term plans didn’t go unnoticed. His job at Onward certainly means he’s rubbing shoulders with the right people in Tory circles. If he gets selected in Selby and Ainsty, UK Polling Report forecast he’ll likely join the green benches in 2024…

No Payne, No Gain Hold…

UPDATE: Guido’s told the shortlist is down to around 6 or 7 candidates. Local sources say the other leading names are Andrew Lee, Sam Richards and Hannah Galley. Lee is the local association’s current treasurer and is a North Yorkshire councillor. Richards is a former Number 10 policy unit SpAd, currently the CEO of Britain Remade. Galley is a senior consultant at Portland Communications. Lee is supposedly the one to beat, given his grassroots support…

Gets a few digs into Boris too:

“I’ve only been Prime Minister for six months, but I do believe we are making good progress. If you think about where were were then, and where we are now. Our economy is in much better shape. Our politics doesn’t feel like a box set drama anymore, and our friends and our allies know that we are back…”