Is the master of the dark arts at it again? Sir Gavin Williamson is back in the headlines following a row about an alleged last-minute stitch up in his Staffordshire seat. With Reform riding high in the polls, every Tory MP is fearing for their future, given Richard Tice’s pledge to stand candidates across the country. But that won’t be a problem for Williamson in his newly-created constituency of Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge where the Reform nominee stood down at the very last minute. How convenient eh?
Tom Wellings had been confirmed to fight the seat for Reform, having apparently submitted his nomination papers on Wednesday. But with an hour to go before Friday’s Electoral Commission 4 p.m deadline, Wellings then withdrew from the contest and endorsed Williamson, saying he was concerned that his candidacy risked handing victory to Labour. In comments reported by the Mirror, Wellings said:
The polls indicate that Labour is close to winning the seat in our constituency. This is a matter of deep concern to me, and should be to anyone who supports the policies and agenda of Reform UK. Given the current political landscape, my continued candidacy risks splitting the vote, thereby increasing the chances of a Labour MP being elected. Therefore, I have decided to support Gavin Williamson, who has considerable experience in government. I am confident Gavin is well positioned to effectively challenge a Left-wing Labour government.
A furious Tice accused the Conservatives of ‘dirty tricks’, telling the paper that: ‘Wellings put his papers in on Wednesday then in the last hour without telling us withdrew them. I am challenging Gavin Williamson to say whether money, jobs or a safe seat was offered to Wellings to do this.’ Sir Gavin told the Independent: ‘This is certainly not the case’, while a Conservative spokesman described the accusation as ‘utter rubbish’. Oh, what a tangled web we weave…
The move helps to ensure that Sir Gavin will be returned on 4 July, in news that will no doubt delight political hacks. After all, what would the House of Commons really be without our very own latter-day Francis Urqhart?
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