Mr S was curious to spy a puzzling email sent out by CCHQ to their prospective parliamentary candidates today. The message asked would-be Tory runners to send in their CVs so that the party can select candidates for the next general election.
Recipients were told that anyone selected as a parliamentary contender would cease to be a candidate if ‘an existing MP exercises an incumbency right over it’. The email reads:
The Board of the Conservative Party has decided to proceed with selections in constituencies that would be affected by Major Boundary changes under the Parliamentary Boundary Review.
Therefore the following seats which we invite you to apply for are advertised as selections on the existing boundaries and any selected candidate will cease to be a candidate should the boundary changes be implemented before the next General Election if the constituency disappears or an existing MP exercises an incumbency right over it.
Some of the prospective candidates were left scratching their heads after reading that peculiar line buried in the text of the email. An odd turn of phrase given CCHQ appears to be saying that any change in boundaries would invalidate the candidates’ selection and that all of the MPs on the list are Labour politicians.
All of them except for Ian Austin, who quit the party in February. Theresa May appointed him as a trade envoy to Israel just days before she was replaced by Boris Johnson, where he has been working closely with international trade minister Liam Fox…
Mr S wonders whether the Tories could have their eye possible defectors?
The full list of constituencies and their respective MPs are published below:
Delyn – David Hanson
Stoke on Trent Central – Gareth Snell
Dudley North – Ian Austin
Newport West – Ruth Jones
Swansea West – Geraint Davies
Southampton Test – Alan Whitehead
Hampstead and Kilburn – Tulip Siddiq
Batley and Spen – Tracy Brabin
Scunthorpe – Nic Dakin
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