With talk and votes and counter votes about the possibility of a pre-Christmas General Election ringing in our ears, the Conservatives have selected six potential candidates to go before local party members to choose their candidate for the Devizes constituency – considered to be a very safe Tory seat.
And Labour have today (October 28) announced that they have selected their candidate.
The Conservatives’ contest to find a candidate follows the decision by Claire Perry O’Neill MP not to stand again.
This shortlist is a bit longer than these shortlists normally are. Such shortlists normally have three names – or occasionally four names. The local Tory Association’s press release explains what has happened: A panel appointed by the Executive Council of the Devizes Conservative Association have agreed a short list of four candidates with Conservative Central HQ and added two more with strong local connections.
Mark Wallace of the conservative home website (‘the home of conservatism’) wrote: “In the context of the tensions between Conservative Central HQ and associations… that sounds rather like there’s been a fightback by the Devizes association officers against central control.”
Backing this up the Association’s press release says: The process to select a Candidate has taken longer than we would have liked however we now have six excellent candidates who will give members a real choice of who they would like to be their candidate in the next General Election.
he six names going forward are:
Councillor Antonia Cox: A former journalist and current Westminster councillor, Cox stood in Islington South and Finsbury in 2010. She co-founded a Free School in London.
Laura Farris: A barrister specialising in employment and equality law. She comes from a family of Tory MPs – the McNair-Wilsons.
Sir Ashley Fox: The former leader of the Conservative MEPs, he represented the South West of England constituency from 2009-2019.
Rupert Harrison: A former adviser to George Osborne – 2006 to 2015. Lately he has been a portfolio manager at Black Rock.
Danny Kruger: Is Political Secretary to the Prime Minister and was chief leader writer on the Daily Telegraph – leaving to become David Cameron’s speechwriter. His mother is Prue Leith (of Bake-Off fame).
Dom Morris: Is a fourth generation farmer who has worked for the Prince’s Trust. He contested the Exeter constituency in 2015.
Fuller information about the six Conservative hopefuls can be found here.
Meanwhile the members of the Devizes Constituency Labour Party have chosen Rachael Ross as their candidate in any forthcoming General Election. She lives in the Pewsey Vale with her husband Rob and runs a leadership and consultancy business. She is chair of the Constituency Party. More information below:
OBITUARY: Judy Miles – Bletchley Park de-coder, journalist & Marlborough personality
