Trouble is brewing in Rochford. It appears CCHQ is up to its usual “shameful and rotten” tricks in fixing seats and stitching-up candidate selections, though this time to please a generous donor to James Cleverly. Cleverly is reportedly pushing CCHQ to select 27-year-old nepo-SpAd Alice Hopkin, daughter of Glyn Hopkin, for James Duddridge’s old seat of Rochford Southend East.
Glyn Hopkin donated £10,000 to Cleverly for his 2019 leadership campaign and has continued to hand over large donations since. This has been a relatively safe seat, though is now a marginal and no shoo-in for the Tories this election…
A source over at the Conservative Democratic Organisation tells Guido:
“We understand the candidates committee will attempt to force through emergency by-election rules which 40 MPs and CDO stopped happening earlier this year. This would allow CCHQ to place favoured candidates in safer seats with a choice of only 3 offered – the favoured candidate surrounded by two weaker token candidates. This is their usual fixing formula.“
The stitch-up in motion has created a backlash from local Tories and Tory MPs, with one senior backbench MP telling Guido: “I’ve been an MP over many decades and this sort of thing never tends to end up well. This one certainly has the whiff of nepotism.” Guido’s not sure her few years of work for her father’s donee and a Geography degree will cut the mustard in an election campaign…
Tory HQ was caught on the hop by the snap election, initially struggling to find enough candidates to fill seats having culled their list of approved prospective MPs. They are determined not to make the same mistake in the event of another early election – Guido hears preparations have already begun. CCHQ Head of Candidates Gareth Fox emailed the old candidates list yesterday inviting them to apply be considered for the new list. This would not normally happen for several months after an election, instead the process has been accelerated and is already underway less than a week after polling day. Applications from candidates are wanted “as soon as you can”, and by no later than 10 July. CCHQ wasn’t ready when Theresa May called the June 8 election, they want to make sure they are all set to go if they have to in the autumn…
